Jessie's Girl
by BrierGarden
Summary: "Jessie is a friend, yeah I know he's been a good friend of mine, but lately something's changed. It ain't hard to define, Jessie's got himself a girl and I want to make her mine"-Rick Springfield. Santana is a closeted lesbian terrified of showing the world how she really feels, but her brother's new girlfriend has her doing things she never thought she would ever do.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: **

**The First Game**

The cheers of the crowed melted into a collective groan as they watched number 17 cross the line for a touch down. For a second it looked as though the William McKinley Titans would actually stop the Oakwood Wolf pack from scoring a winning seven points, but at the last moment number 20, Noah Puckerman, tripped and missed the tackle. The opposing side erupted in a loud chorus of shouts and cheers from across the field." God Damn it!" Quinn yelled throwing her pom-poms down into the chalk ridden dirt. For a girl who professed to be such a devout Christian she sure swore a lot, the raven haired cheerleader observed.

Santana folded her arms and looked back at the Oakwood cheerleaders. Their silver, blue, and black uniforms stood out under the bright stadium lights as they danced and sang for their football team.

"Why couldn't we lose to anyone else! I hate those bitches!" Quinn ranted. The other girls on her team knew to steer clear of their wrathful captain when she got like this, but Santana didn't care. The mouthy blonde didn't scare her one bit.

"Chill out. We're going to cream them in competition like we do every year." Santana retorted snidely, picking up the pom-poms and tossing them at a particularly frightened looking Cheerio. Quinn rolled her eyes.

"That's not the point. Their captain is a total snob and we have to share a locker room with them tonight. I sick of all these losers rubbing their school victories in our face every time we go to change." Santana clenched her teeth. She couldn't agree more. It was bad enough watching the Titan's get their asses kicked every Friday night, but William McKinley was too poor of a school to have separate locker rooms for the girls to change in. Instead all the cheerleaders were crammed into one room tiny room after the game.

"Come on, lets just get this over with. I want to go home and eat." She said pushing past her captain and began her long marched back toward the school. When she was clear of the other girls, she let out the breath she had held in practically all night. As much as she loved cheering it caused her too much stress. Not to mention it brought out parts of herself that she really rather keep hidden.

Santana sighed and took a deep breath pulling the door to the locker room open. It was already packed inside with half-naked bodies giggling and laughing to one another. She put on her best bitchy sneer and tried to keep her eyes on the ground as she entered. " Hey nice effort out there. You're cheering is great, but I think you're going to need to find a better team." One girl teased. Santana pushed her way past as the other Cheerios entered the locker room.

Another determined red-head, who Santana recognized as the other team's captain, stepped in front of her in only her push up bra and mini skirt. "Why do they call you guys the Titans when your team can't even catch a ball. They should call you something that fits your skill level better, like the Peasants" Santana swallowed thickly adverting her eyes from the girl's perfectly round chest, trying not to blush. _God get yourself together Lopez. These Bitches are insulting you're team say something. Fight back._ She scolded herself.

Santana opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead she simply stared stupidly into the face of the girl in front of her, trying not to let her eyes drift down "Save it Fire Crotch. Come competition time we're going to turn you Oakwood Wolves into Oakwood Bitches...our bitches that is." came Quinn's shrill threatening voice from the door.

"Well if it isn't Lucy Goosey finally gracing us with her presence." Snickered the red-head, who Santana was able to finally side step. " I wouldn't be so sure of that. We have a secrete weapon this year that's going to leave the Cheerios crying for their mommy"

Quinn snorted unimpressed. " We've won nationals for the last twenty years. I'll be damned before I let a few nobodies like you take it from us now..." From the office door there was an ear-splitting shriek from a whistle causing all the girl's including Santana to jump.

"Alright that's enough you ninnies, hurry up and change. I don't have all night!" coach Sue barked.

The commotion gave Santana enough time to slip into the back, where her locker was without any other awkward incidents._ Now I just have to grab a shower while there's still some hot water left. I'll wait an extra long time and everyone will be gone by the time I'm done._ She reassured herself several times.

Santana opened her locker and dug through her things, pulling out the clothes she wanted to wear on the drive back to her house and a towel to dry off with. She could feel people walking back and forth behind her, but she blocked her insecurity out. It was something she had grown use to despite how uncomfortable it made her feel.

She had just pulled off her cheer top when out of the corner of her eye another girl stepped up next to her. She could just make out the silver and blue of the other team's long-sleeved outfits running down the girl's arms. Santana clenched her jaw and fixed her gaze on her own locker, willing herself not to look, and praying that the other girl didn't look at her. She wrapped her fingers in the hem of her skirt and began to pull down when a soft voice reached her ears over the loud chatter of the changing room.

"Hey, do you have any body spray?"

Santana looked up immediately when she was addressed, but regretted it almost the moment she did. The Oakwood girl stood holding on to the locker door as if it where holding her up. She wore only a light blue bra with a single duck covering the right side and a matching light blue G-string thong. However her attire was only an after thought to the feisty co-captain, Santana found herself trapped in the gaze of the most beautiful blue-eyed blonde she had ever set eyes on.

"I-uh-what? Sorry, I can't hear you." Santana rushed to say tripping over her words, but the blond didn't seem to mind. She stepped closer and leaned in so that Santana could feel the girl's hot breath on her neck, causing a dizzy sensation to flood her senses.

"I said do you have any body spray, you know to smell good?" the blonde took a step back and waiting patiently for Santana's response.

"yea, I mean no. No I don't sorry." She said over the roar of the room. She could feel her cheeks growing rosy and warm, if anyone asked she'd simply blame it on the steam from the showers.

"Fudge. I hate showering in locker rooms." The blonde said with a small pout lip. Santana's jaw wanted to hang open, but she kept it shut tight. Was this chick for real? If anyone on her team ever said 'fudge' or gave a pout, she'd probably give them shit for days and tell them to grow the fuck up. Yet some how this girl made it see absolutely adorable.

She turned away back to her locker when she suddenly realized how bare she was. She quickly wrapped a towel around herself and looked up to say something else.

"I—uh—I..."

The Oakwood girl had gone back to her own locker and began grabbing up her own things when she glanced back over at Santana with a curious expression as she waited for whatever it was that Santana was about to say.

"I—yea-me too. Showers suck..."

Santana wanted to roll over and die. _You're never allowed to talk again-ever, Lopez. Never. _The blue-eyed blonde giggled and gave her a small agreeing nod.

"Showers do suck, I prefer bubble baths." She pulled a towel from her locker and grabbed up the rest of her things. " Well, it was nice talking to you." She turned and began walking toward the showers. Santana couldn't stop her eyes from falling down the girl's back and landing for a moment on her perfect ass. _Look away. Look away before someone catches you_. She internally shouted at herself, but it was too late. At the last moment the tall Oakwood blonde turned and looked back at Santana. who was still looking awkwardly at her. The girl seemed a little surprised, but her shock soon turned into a cocky little smirk. Her eyes trailed down Santana's now covered body and back up to her eyes. She tossed Santana a small wink, but she was already in full panic mode.

Santana felt as though she were about to vomit. There was no way she could shower after that. There was no way should could be caught anywhere near this place. Someone else had to have seen what had just happened and they were probably on their way right now to tell their coach or worse principal Figgins. Santana tossed on her sweatpants and an off the shoulder shirt as she gathered up her things as fast as she could. She tossed her uniform in the dirty clothes hamper and stormed toward the door with her head down, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone who might be standing close by.

"Hey San! Where are you going? We need to have a team meeting." Quinn yelled at her from her own locker. _Shit._ Santana waved her off and kept going. "I can't tonight I have a family thing. Catch me up on Monday or text me!" She shouted back over her shoulder as she left the locker room.

The drive home felt long despite the fact that she lived less than 10 minutes from school. She half expected her phone to ring or for the Lima police to be on her doorstep as she pulled up. _It's not a crime to check someone out. Take a breath. It's going to be okay. You're just over reacting, again._ She told herself as she set her bag down by the foot of the stairs and kicked off her cheer sneakers.

Santana pulled her high pony out, shaking her long black hair free. It fell loose on to her tan shoulders. When no one called to come and lock her away, she slowly began to relax. Taking a deep breath she walked though her sitting room and into the kitchen pulling open the fridge. She glanced up at the clock. 1_0:30pm. Mom is already in bed. Perfect._ She began pulling different leftovers out and setting them on the counter along with a tub of ice cream.

"Jeez if you keep eating like that you wont fit into that uniform of yours much longer"

Her brother's voice made her jump.

"Christ, Roman! You know I hate it when you do that!" She snapped at him, but put the ice cream back in the freezer.

"Did the Lima Losers lose again?" He asked with a playful smirk. Santana rolled her eyes and began filling her plate with pasta, a little salad, and a left over chicken wing then placed it in the microwave.

"Duh. The Titan's suck. They haven't won a game since-"

"Since their star Quarterback left for college." Roman flexed one of his biceps with the Lopez trademark cocky grin. Santana ignored him.

Roman was a school hero at McKinley. He was the only Quarterback to lead the Titans to the state play offs. Now he played for Columbus State as a running back and the occasional wide receiver. However to Santana he was her dorky older brother, who had comic books under his bed, tortured her mercilessly and teased her every chance he got. More than that he was her best friend.

A small ding told her that her plate was ready. She pulled it out and walked into the sitting room to eat.

"Hate to burst your ego bubble, but no one knows who you are anymore." She lied, flipping on the Tv. She needed something to take her thoughts off the sexy blonde in the ducky underwear. It was Roman's turn to roll his eyes.

"As if. I'm a legend in this town. You should feel lucky to have me as your big brother. "

Santana wanted to scoff. It was the exact opposite. Everyone kept such a close eye on her, expecting her to be something great like her brother, but instead she was a frantic mess waiting to go up in flames.

"Whatever you say..." She mumbled sarcastically giving him only half her attention. Roman sat quietly for a moment finally realizing that his sister was in no mood to talk.

"Okay, I didn't come down here just to talk about how amazingly cool I am. I want your advice on something." he said pulling up his sleep shorts, hopping over the back of the couch, and sitting on the arm facing her. Santana pushed the mute button and raised her eyebrow curiously at him. " So, I've been getting kind of serious about my girlfriend and I think I want to bring her home to meet mamá and papi, but I'm not sure how to bring it up with them." Roman asked with an unusual sense of uncertainty.

Santana wanted to groan and go upstairs, but she knew her brother was being serious by the tone of his voice. Roman never took anything seriously, so the fact that he was sitting here now asking for her help ,was sort of a big deal. He had talked about this girl since the moment he met her nearly two months ago. They had met while he was partying at the house of one of his teammates. Apparently she was his friend's little sister, which seemed totally gross to Santana. She was a little surprised that his friend had been so chill about it. Roman would have fought anyone who looked twice at his preciosa baby sister. She sighed because she knew better than anyone you couldn't choose who you fell for and besides, this mystery girl seemed to make her brother really happy and she couldn't find anything wrong with that.

" How serious is serious? I mean you haven't been dating her that long and let's be real here. You're kind of a player." Santana asked as she picked up her fork and tried to eat.

"I don't know! It's hard to explain. It's like, I don't want to even look at other girls when she's around. She's so beautiful and funny, but not in an annoying way. I think it's impossible for anyone not to like her. She's already my girlfriend, but I want this to be something that lasts, ya know?" He said in a breathless voice. The truth was she didn't know, but she nodded her head as if she did.

"I think tomorrow when papi comes home for Saturday night dinner you should bring it up then." She said between bites. "Just tell them what you told me—or maybe not in so many words. " Santana suggested with a half shrug.

"Hey, maybe you could ask to bring someone home too and it wouldn't be so weird." Roman suggested, but Santana shivered. The idea of bringing someone back to meet her father was horrifying. Chief Medical Surgeon Navarro Lopez was not a warm man, nor was he easy to talk to. The idea of asking him to bring home a boyfriend to meet was something she preferred not to think about.

"Nu-uh. Not going to happen." Santana shook her head and took another bite of her salad.

"Aw come on San. Please. I'll totally owe you one!" Roman begged. Santana kept her eyes on the plate, so as not to be suckered in by yet another signature Lopez look. When she didn't look up, her brother snatched away her plate.

"Hey! Fine, I'll think about it, but only if there is someone suitable to bring home." Santana rolled her eyes and took her plate back from her brother.

" Awesome! I love you. You're the best." The tall well muscled boy leaned over and kissed his sister on the top of the head. " I'm off to bed. I promised I'd call before I went to sleep." Santana smiled and rolled her eyes. _What a lame ass. _

"Yea, love you too. 'night." She yelled.

After twenty minutes of flipping through the T-VO only to find that her mother deleted all her shows, Santana finally gave up and decided to try and get some sleep. As she walked down the hall she could hear her brother still whispering on the phone through the still night air of their large empty house. She was happy for him, but that didn't mean she didn't also envy him. Santana had known she was different from the other kids since she was in kindergarten. Instead of reading Ramona & Beezus, Santana read her brother's comic books. When the other girls wanted to play dress up Santana preferred playing kickball and catching bugs.

Her father had gotten so fed up with her tom boy like behavior that he instructed her abuela to start taking her to ballet, so Santana could learn to act like a proper 'little lady'. It wasn't until she started high school that she discovered just how different she was. Her friends would get so excited and talk about the butterflies they felt over their first kiss, but all Santana felt was Puckerman's gross slobber all over her face. She tried to stay positive by telling herself those feelings would come when the time was right, yet they never did.

It wasn't until she met Quinn, that she realized she was a lesbian. When the bossy girl transferred to McKinley in her junior year, Santana was almost immediately smitten with her. Her secrete attraction grew and grew until she could no longer lie to herself about the things she felt. A year later there was still a hidden crush, but she had given up any hope.

Santana rinsed off the football shame, changed into her usual soft pj shorts, and pink polka dot top. The day had exhausted the young latina, so the moment her head hit the pillow she was out.

It was late into the night when her dreams suddenly jolted her awake. She lay there dazed and half awake, glaring through the darkness at her ceiling. The image of the Oakwood blonde undressed danced crossed her half closed eye lids. She was so breath-taking that Santana could hardly believe they had met in real life. She could still feel her warm breath on her own neck, sending a rush of butterflies swarming her belly. Santana bit her lip and shut her eyes as she encouraged the fantasy to continue. She replayed the memory of the girl glancing over her covered body several times until, she was no longer sure if it had really happened or not.

Santana felt her tan fingers trace up the side of her bare thigh and over her tone abs causing her muscles to twitch. As she continued to picture the girl, she felt a dull ache slowly begin to grow between her legs. _Go on. No one will know and it's not like you're ever going to see her again. _A small voice said in the back of her head. _I shouldn't. It's wrong. What if I do see her at another game or a competition? How am I suppose to look at her? I shouldn't even be thinking about girls this way. _She told her self, but her fingers were finding it hard to obey. They traced along the waist band of her shorts before running over the top of her damp clothed center._ You need this. It's been four months. _The little voice coaxed.

Santana bit her lip harder and continued to tease herself over the cover of her shorts. It didn't take long for her pent-up frustration to come rushing back. A small whimper escaped her lips as her fingers tentatively slipped beneath the safety of her shorts. "Oh god" She moaned softly into her pillow as her forefinger traced circles around her clit. She couldn't take much more pressure. She pictured her lips pressed softly to the girl's delicate pink ones. Santana's hips bucked slightly under her blankets as she fell toppling over the edge. It wasn't anything long or powerful, but it was enough to leave Santana feeling exhausted and guilty.

She pulled her hand from her shorts and wiped away her shame on the side of the bed. It wasn't long until sleep over took her once more.

* * *

_*A/n-Hey I thought I'd try something new. This is my first non-crossover fic. It's also my first fic that's more on the smutty side._

_If you enjoyed the first chapter** please Review and let me know!** If the story seems to be liked I'll continue._


	2. Family Dinner

**Chapter Two:**

**Family Dinner**

Light from her open window spilled into her bedroom. A cool breeze knocked the papers off her bed and blew them onto the floor. Her dark hair tossed around as she rolled of her bed to grab her homework. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon, which Santana had spent avoiding everyone. On her bed-stand sat her cell phone with two missed calls and a handful of texts from her cheer captain. Normally she won't miss an opportunity to chat with the bitchy god fearing girl, but today she wasn't in the mood.

Santana tossed her papers onto her lacquer desk before crawling back onto her bed and flipping open her laptop. Her mouse wandered across her desktop until it found the Google icon. When the page popped up she lazily went to the search bar and hit the 'L' button. Right away the web address she wanted popped into the search bar. It was only a month ago that she had found the _'L-Chat: Lezzie gossip and drama for the Elisabeth and Bertha in all of us.'_ by total chance. She couldn't quite recall what she had searched for originally, but when she stumbled across the chat room she found herself drawn in. It wasn't long before she was checking the sight regularly.

She flipped through the old posts looking to see if there was anything new on the Rizzoli and Isles boards. Santana bit her lip as her eyes scanned over a few gifs manipulated to make it seem as though the two main characters where kissing. _I shouldn't be looking at this. _She scolded herself, but couldn't look away. _They're just so hot and clearly meant for each other. Anyone who watched the show would see that. _She right clicked her mouse to leave a comment under the username: **Lima_Bitch.** Her fingers danced over the keys as she tried to figure out what exactly she wanted to say.

"Hey, are you coming downstairs or what?"

Santana jumped out of her skin and slammed her laptop shut.

"Jesus Christ Roman! What the fuck! Don't you know how to knock!" She yelled at her brother who looked bewildered standing in the door jamb. He wore a nice shirt and pants while Santana was still in her pajamas from the night before.

"Pop is downstairs. We're waiting for you so we can start eating." Roman gave her a concerned look.

"Shit, why didn't you tell me when he got here?"

"I tried calling you. Maybe you should trying picking up your phone once in a while."

Santana rolled her eyes and jumped out of bed grabbing a simple dress out of her closet as she tore off her sleep clothes.

"Maybe you could try not being such a lazy ass all the time." She snapped back at him.

She knew Roman understood her sudden abrasive attitude. Saturday night dinners were stressful enough as is. Doctor Lopez was almost never home. He traveled constantly throughout the state giving conferences and performing some of the most difficult surgical procedures in the nation. Saturday nights where the one day he would return home to visit and check up on his children. Navarro had a strict standard for which his children were expected to live up to. Santana refereed to them as the "ABC's": Academics, Behavior, Church. Each was to be the center of the Lopez children's life. Unfortunately, Santana always seemed to fall short.

"Hey, don't forget about the date thing okay? I really need you to have my back on this."

Santana shot her brother a look that told him just how thrilled she was about this little plan of his. She hadn't even thought about it since he brought it up yesterday.

"If I do this, you owe me." She barked as she pulled her hair back into a tight elegant bun, but he was gone.

Santana went quickly back to her lap top and closed the window, just in case someone climbed through her window and decided to go through all her personal things. Lima Heights was just down the street, after all. It didn't hurt to be too careful

She skipped down the steps two at a time as to not keep her father waiting any longer then necessary. He wasn't a pleasant man, but when he was hungry, Navarro was unbearable.

"Glad to see you finally decided to join us Santana, maybe now we can actually eat. Is that okay with you? " Her father asked rhetorically.

"Sorry." She mumbled taking her seat across from her brother.

"Sorry what? Manners matter Santana. How many times must I tell you this? And speak up, no one will ever pay attention to a woman who mumbles."

"Sorry, sir. It wont happen again." Santana spoke clearly and plightly.

"Better. Now would you like to lead us in prayer?" He asked. His cold dark eyes bore into her own.

"Why don't you do it, honey? You always have a way with words." Her mother swooned in a sickeningly fake voice,when she didn't speak right away. Santana was surprised she was even able to sit up right.

As the local district attorney Maria Lopez had a small habit of drinking away her loneliness on the days that her husband wasn't around, which was nearly everyday. It was a not so secrete of a secrete that her father had more than his fair share of affairs, but the couple chose to look past one another's transgressions for the sake of appearances and their children.

"Very well" Navarro folded his hands and bowed his head as did everyone else at the dinner table. "Heavenly father please bless this bountiful spread, which my wife has prepared for us. Bless my son so that he may succeed in his up coming game against Brown. Lord I ask that you teach my daughter responsibility, so that she may bring honor to you. I ask that you also watch after my patients, some who are in critical condition, and please look after my mother Alma. Amen"

Santana couldn't help the bad taste in her mouth she always got when her father did the prayer. It always seemed nice enough, but it left her feeling as though she were his greatest disappointment.

"Roman, how are your classes?" their father asked as he dug into his stake.

"Very well sir. I've got straight A's so far, but it's only the start of the semester. Everyone begins with an A." He said with a boyish innocents that Santana had grown accustom to over the years.

"And you Santana? How are your grades?" Santana pushed the salad on her plate around for a moment thinking of a way to answer.

"Good, papi. I've got an A's in English, math, history and science."

"And what about Spanish?" He said coolly as though the other classes were meaningless.

"Erm. I have a B+. I misunderstood a question on the last test, but I'm going in on Monday to retake it. I'll have an A then."

Santana glanced up at her brother practically willing him to say something to change the subject. Roman just looked back at her with a confused shrug. He didn't know how he could save his sister from the shit storm she was about to receive.

"Actually papi, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

All eyes darted to Roman. It was very rude and unheard of for someone to interrupt Navarro when he was about to lecture someone. Their father's icy gaze fell onto the shaggy haired young man. He raised an eyebrow expectantly waiting for his son to speak.

"Well, as you might know I've been seeing this girl for a while and I think I'd like to bring her over to meet you guys."

The dinning room was silent as their father continued eating. No one else dared to touch their food. Santana was practically holding her breath.

"Santana wants to bring home her boyfriend too!" Roman blurted out when the elder man didn't speak.

Santana felt as though she were about to faint. That or chuck her knife at her brother's head.

"Boyfriend? What boyfriend? Why was I not informed about this sooner." Navarro demanded to know. His voice shook the table with an angry rumble.

"It-it's new, sir. His name is P-p-er Noah. He's really nice and he's on the football team. " Santana lied through her teeth. She had never spoken of boys before and everyone seemed to be in utter shock.

"I think having them both over is a wonderful idea. Don't you Anthony?" The way her mother called him by his middle name made Santana squirm unpleasantly. It was far too intimate for the estranged couple.

Her father gave a gruff 'humph'.

"Very well. Next Saturday, it is then. Dinner will start promptly at 7 o'clock pm."

The rest of dinner when by quietly. Their mother attempted to ease the tension by making small talk, but Santana didn't feel as though she could stomach another bite. She wanted nothing more than to disappear into her room and never come out. The brother and sister both helped their mother clear the table while Navarro retreated to the living room to catch up on local news.

"Sorry San. I'll make it up to you I promise." Roman whispered in her ear, but she didn't want to hear it.

"It's whatever. May I go now?" She shot snidely at her mother who was pouring a glass of after dinner wine. Maria waved her off and Santana darted up the stairs to her bedroom and slammed the door. She pulled off the suffocating evening dress as though it were a symbol for everything wrong with her life.

She threw herself back down onto her bed and fought back the tears welling up in her eyes. How the hell was she suppose to convince Puck, the biggest play boy perv. in school, to pretend to be her boyfriend? Not to mention have him act as though he actually had manners. She pulled a pillow over her head and groaned as loud as she could.

After a few calming breaths she finally decided to find a distraction. Santana reached over and flipped through the phone she had ignored all day. As expected there were several missed texts from various Cheerios and Quinn. They all pretty much said the same thing: Oakwood needed to be taken down. However the last text caught her eye.

_**Quinn: **__Also will I be seeing you at Church tomorrow? We can talk about what we plan to do as payback then._

"Fuck" She had nearly forgotten the second part of her weekend tradition.

_**San:**__ Yea, I'll be there, but I won't be able to talk long. I have to go to my gran's house after church for lunch._

_**Quinn:**__ Shit I forgot you do that. I thought you only go once every two weeks? Didn't you go last week?_

_**San:**__ No, you're thinking the week before._

_**Quinn**__: Alright. We'll figure something out._

_**San: **__Sounds good._

Talking to Quinn had never been easy, but after harboring a hopeless crush on the girl for the last few years seemed to make it a little easier. As time wore on Santana had given up pretty much any hope of being truly noticed by her. After all head cheerleaders didn't just drop their popularity to run away with closeted dykes or at least they didn't in Lima, Ohio.

Santana shut her lights off and lay in bed thinking again about the beautiful blonde she had met the other day. She wished for a name or something to call the girl by or a way to find her on facebook. _So now you're an Internet stalker? Perfect_. Santana thought bitterly to she knew it Santana had fallen asleep with dreams of the strange girl she had met only days ago.

* * *

A/N: Unlike my other stories this is more of a slow burn. It's not going to be super angsty or anything (unlike my other work). I really wanted to focus on the internal struggle, family, and the little moments. There will be outside forces against Santana as well as internal ones. _There will be religious and body image talk_ so if those offend you I'd stop reading now. Not sure how long this story will be so I hope you guys are cool with just sitting back and enjoying the ride. That being said thank you for all your wonderful comments on the first chapter.


	3. Church One

**Chapter Three:**

**Church**

The door to her bedroom clicked open, but Santana chose not to open her eyes. She had been wide awake since 5 am trying to pretend that today wasn't Sunday.

"Santana Marie. Get up and get ready. We're going to church." her mother scolded.

'Maybe if I lay here long enough she'll forget about me and I can sleep until tomorrow.' Santana mused privately. That is until her mother opened the door again and gave a sharp "Now!"

Santana sighed and rolled out of bed. There was nothing she hated more than going to church. It wasn't god she had a problem with; it was the stuffy room packed with people, the monotone priest, the Latin hymns that everyone pretended to know, and the judgmental stares of those who thought they were so much better Christians than everyone else. 99 percent of the time those were the people who were the most guilty. It didn't feel like a place full of gods love. Especially when their father seemed to favor lessons on damnation.

She dug through her closet looking through her things to find something cute enough to pass her father's 'feminine' requirement, while also not showing too much leg. The last thing she needed was the congregation thinking she was 'horny for Jesus' or something equally stupid. She pulled on an off white sun dress with a simple flower print and a tan belt the wrapped around the center. Getting her make up and hair done took a little bit more time for her to perfect.

An hour later Santana slipped down the stairs to grab a piece of toast and orange juice. Her father sat waiting at the edge of the table browsing through the morning paper.

"Is that what you're wearing to church?" he asked in an incredulous tone without bothering to look up. Santana glanced down at her outfit. Aside from a pair of jeans it was the most conservative thing she owned.

"Yea, is there something wrong with it?" She asked pulling out the orange juice and butter from the fridge. The elder Lopez didn't say anything. He merely turned the page. From upstairs the thudding of her brother's rambunctious foot steps could be heard as he hopped down the stairs in his nice dress shirt and red tie.

"Morning sis." he said kissing Santana on the cheek and stealing one of her pieces of toast from the toaster. When she began to protest he stuck his tongue out at her. "Deal with it. You don't need the extra carbs anyway." Santana rolled her eyes at his joke though the comment stung a little more than she wanted to let on. She let it roll off her shoulder as she bit into her breakfast and took a sip of juice. When Roman reached for her to share she pulled away.

"Get your own loser." said with a spiteful look.

It wasn't long before Santana sat in a tight little pew staring up at the mangled image of Jesus Christ. 'We're still sitting here after 2,000 years apologizing for something our ancestors did. Guy can hold a grudge.' she thought privately as a way to distract herself from the holier-than-thou eyes which liked to pan around the room every so often. She knew she really didn't have room to bitch. She was a Kenzi 6 lesbian after all, which made sitting here all the more uncomfortable. She always felt like an ant under a magnifying glass.

Santana stood with the congregation as part of a weekly ritual. She looked around and it didn't take long for her to spot Quinn Fabray ,with her own family, opening a hymnal. She felt a jab to her ribs by her brother.

"Ow what!" She snapped.

"Stop staring at your best friend and open your book. Dad's getting annoyed."

Sure enough her father sat at the end of their pew glaring holes at the back of her head. Santana gave a low sigh. More than anything she just wanted him to go back to work or find a motel to hook up with whatever secretary he was banging that week, things would be so much easier. Santana opened her throat and began singing several graceful melodies she didn't understand with the rest of the patrons. The father gave a last set of reminders and dismissed them for the day.

"Finally" Santana muttered under her breath.

She began to gather her things with the rest of her family when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Quinn stood with her typical neutral expression. It was one of the few things Santana found annoying about the blue-eyed blond because she could never read what she was thinking.

"My dad's making me go to confession. Do you think you can wait around, so we can talk?" Quinn asked with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"San you should totally go with her. I'm sure there are plenty of Sin's you'd like to confess."Roman nudged her with his elbow giving a small chuckle. Santana shot him a warning look just as their father began to watch the interaction.

"Sorry, we're going to my abuela's house. Can't we just talk tomorrow in the lunch room?" Santana asked just as impatiently. Quinn was beautiful, but her attitude made it hard for Santana to continue to care.

"Fine whatever. Tomorrow then." She huffed and stomped off.

The only part of her Sunday ritual that Santana didn't mind was the trip to her grandmother's house. Alma Lopez was a spry old woman with a sharp tongue and a sharper back hand. When she spoke the room listened and no one argued. She was the kind of woman Santana strived to be. The way she held fear and respect in the palm of her hand was something Santana did her very best to emulate in class. While she hadn't quite masted her grandmother's piercing gaze, the lessons she had learned so far proved quiet effective.

"Santana, eat up. You're too skinny!" Alma ordered setting a plate of chorizo and beans in front of her, before heckling her brother about sitting straight.

Everyone sat at a small kitchen table with a tacky old cloth draped beneath their plates. No one dare speak unless spoken to, which amused Santana greatly. This was the one place she felt comfortable. It was no secrete that her grandmother favored her above all others and doted on her often.

"I hear you have worked quite a bit Tonito." Alma said without looking up at her son.

"Yes, Ma'am." was her father's short replay.

"Making a lot of money?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

" That is good. Now if only you had time to take care of the children you've fathered and your wife, then your life might measure up to something. " she quipped.

Santana nearly choked on her lunch. Navarro Lopez frightened most people on a good day, but his mother was right there to shut him down every time. He looked stunned and angry, daring ether of his children to look up from their plates. Finally he spoke.

"A-a man must make sacrifices to keep the house hold a float mama."

Alma gave a stiff chuckle.

" Is that what it's called these days? I've very disappointed in you Tonito. I expect a change for the sake of my grand babies."

Santana bit back a small smile as she glanced over at her brother who was doing the same. The level of awkward had risen about ten points, but it was well worth it after the horrible dinner they had to endure just a night ago. Roman tossed Santana a small wink and she couldn't help, but be reminded of how much she truly adored her brother. He knew just what to say even when there was nothing to say at all.

Monday was even more dull in usual. Santana found herself staring blankly at the white board as Mr. Hampton broke down the biological structure of a cell. Instead of note taking, her college rule note-book had become filled with doodles of non-nonsensical shapes and pictures. Her mind wandered aimlessly until it eventually landed on the blonde from Friday nights game.

Santana was starting to wonder if she had dreamed the whole thing. Had this girl been some fantasy she had dreamed up out of sexual frustration? In her mind the girl had grown into something perfect. A flawless person made just from her day dreams, but Santana knew better than to fall for the games of her mind.

"She's probably not even that pretty. She sure as hell didn't wink at you. She probably has some weird gross habit like picking dirt from her finger nails or something." Santana told herself on the way to cheer practice Wednesday afternoon.

"Lopez if you're not going to be on time you can at least act like you're paying attention. Take a lap. I'm sick of looking at you" barked Sue, her cheer coach. She jogged around the field still thinking of things that could possibly be wrong with the girl she had only briefly met, each accusation growing more and more outrageous.

Santana reached the finish where the other girls stood stretching. She was about to join when Quinn pulled her aside. She fought back an eye roll. _'Why wont anyone just leave me alone today?'_ she thought incredulously.

"What has gotten into you lately?" Quinn hissed in the shadows of the bleachers. "You don't return my texts, you're late for practice, and you look like you're in a different place all the time."

Santana gave a cold shrug.

"I've just been off my game since we lost the last match it's no big deal. I'm fine"

"Well hurry the hell up and get back on your game! I need my co-captain if we have any chance of beating those Oakwood bitches next month."

Santana crossed her arms and gave Quinn a very annoyed look. Under other circumstances she might not have minded being so close to the bitchy girl under the stands, but after the week she had it was just another thing to piss her off.

"I'll be really, just step off." She bit back.

"Do you remember how Red mentioned having a secrete weapon this year? Well I did some digging and it turns out one of their new transfer students is like one of the top dancers in the state. They're having her design some kind of crazy routine. We need to find a way to shut them down hard and I'm counting on you S." Quinn whispered placing a had on Santana's shoulder. She could feel her nerves vibrate, but she pushed them away as though they didn't exist.

"Fine. I'll see what I can do." Santana huffed, turning back to warm up with the rest of the girls.

Friday came far too quickly for the young cheerleader. She stood on the field in her red and white cheer uniform staring across at the Allen East High School cheerleaders. No matter how hard she tried their ugly army green uniforms didn't magically turn to the rich dark blue of Oakwood.

The game began and she clapped and cheered with the rest of her team as tackles and touchdowns were scored. She looked across the field at the sweaty men hitting each other like wild rams seeking glory. It reminded her that Saturday was almost hear and she had still not asked Puck to come over yet. Her stomach twisted at the thought.

Out of all the boys in her school why had she picked Noah Puckerman. The boy was as crude as he was stupid, not to mention his reputation for bedding girls on the first date. Santana could feel a small shiver crawl up her back. She couldn't ask Finn because of Quinn's on again-off again relationship with the small giant, Sam was a grade younger and only talked about comic book, Mike was seeing that other goth Asian chick whose name Santana conveniently forgot, and Karofsky was a big no because he was the biggest dick around. Puck was the only real option she had.

The game ended with another loss for the Titans, though it came as no big surprise. This time instead of making a beeline for the dressing rooms, as she usually did, Santana hung back waiting for the football players to leave the field.

_'Fuck what do I even say? Hey Puck wanna be my fake boyfriend for the night? Yea because that doesn't sound totally gay'_ Santana thought helplessly as the players marched by. She was so caught up in her own thoughts she nearly missed Noah walking by.

"Shit. Hey! Puck!" She shouted awkwardly causing the mo-hawked boy to stop chatting with his teammates,as they walked, and turn to look at her. A sort of dopey smile crossed his face as he realized who had called him. Licking his lips and stepping away from his now smirking friends he approached.

"Hey, what's up Santana. " he said trying to sound smooth. Santana blinked a few times not really sure what was going on.

"C-can I talk to you alone for a second." Behind them a chorus of "OOo's" came from the other idiot Titans.

"Of course babe." He said walking back toward the field away from his friends. Santana's skin crawled with the way he called her babe, but she rolled with it. When no one could hear them she finally began to speak.

"So I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor. " she tried to ignore the way his eye brows shot up. "I'm having this family dinner where I'm expected to bring a date and well...I wanted to know if you would come. My brother is an idiot and told our parents I had a boyfriend-"

Noah held up his hand for her to stop.

"You want me to pretend to be your boyfriend for a night?"

Santana opened her mouth and closed it. She wasn't use to feeling this weak and helpless.

"Yes."

Noah looked her up and down for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

"There are worse broads I've fake dated before. I'll do it on a few conditions."

Santana's heart sank.

"One when we go back up to the school you have to let everyone believe that we made out for the last twenty minutes." Santana began to protest, but Puck cut her off " Two you have to be my fake girlfriend for the next week. Three you have to be my date to the winter dance next week. Those are my conditions. Take'um or leave'um."

Santana stood there looking dumbstruck. This was not how she pictured things would go. How had she gone from 'Head Bitch' of McKinley to yet another girl at the mercy of Noah Puckerman. It was embarrassing to say the least.

"Fine. Whatever, but you have to do exactly as I say tomorrow night and no fuck ups or the deal is off." She snapped back at him. Puck raised his hands as if to surrender.

"Whatever you say babe, but now you've got to seal the deal with a kiss." he pointed to a pair of sweaty chapped lips. Santana wanted to vomit and tell him to fuck off, but making a deal with the devil didn't work that way. She took a deep breath and leaned in trying to give only just a peck. Unfortunately Puck caught her by the next and made the whole thing much longer and even more unpleasant.

"There! It's done." Santana said backing away.

Noah agreed and headed off toward the boys changing room.

"You're not a bad kisser Lopez" he shouted as he went.

Santana cradled herself for a long moment. She could still taste the salty chapped mess on her own lips. She felt gross and wrong inside. Weren't girls suppose to like kissing guys like Noah Puckerman? She closed her eyes tight trying to wish away the mess of confused feelings she felt, but when she opened them again something odd caught her eye.

She looked up toward the bleachers a for a moment she thought she saw a familiar pair of bright azul eyes and blonde hair looking down at her, but when she blinked the person was gone. She felt a warm tingle fill her body, giving her the energy to head toward the car. She couldn't quite explain it, but she was almost positive it had been the girl from the other night, thought why she had been there was a total mystery.

'Had she been watching me? Did she see me with Puck?' the questions poured in. Santana didn't bother to get her things from the locker room. Instead she walked right to her car and drove home.

That night she lay in bed for the second Friday in a row, thinking passionate thoughts of this strange girl, and when she would see her again. This time she bit her lip and dove deeper into her panties with a firmer sense of exploration. She knew it was wrong, but tonight she cared a little less than before. Santana pushed away her negative thoughts, trying to simply enjoy herself . After the week she had endured, she had earned a little pleasure that night.

She worked her body over until all thoughts of Puckerman's kiss were erased and replaced but soft sweet ones from the girl she hardly knew. She kept going until she was to exhausted and sensitive to move. It was only then that her eye lids became heavy and she drifted off into dreamless sleep.

* * *

**_*A/N - Please Review. Hope you liked the chapter_**


	4. Meet the Parents

**Chapter Four:**

**Meet the Parents**

Santana woke before the sun on Saturday. Her dreams left her with a feeling of anxious dread that filled her belly. She leaned over the side of her lacquer bed and dug around underneath until she found what she had been looking for. Despite her father's mandate on femininity she managed to find ways to hide the things she really liked; in this case Iron Man comics. Santana flipped through the pages admiring the colorful designs and action packed plots. She connected with Tony Stark in subtle ways. They both were outsiders despite their prestige and shockingly good looks. At school there were people who would kill to have Santana look their way let alone talk to them, but she knew better than anyone what it was like to put on a front the way Stark did.

Santana read her fill of the latest issues before sliding them back under her bed where no one could find them. The sun was starting to peak over the tree tops when she decided to get up. Standing in front of the full length mirror she lifted her shirt over her abdomen and mentally appraised her own appearance. _'It could be worse, but I shouldn't have eaten that ice cream or toast the other day' _she thought miserably. Santana couldn't help, but nit-pick at herself when she felt stressed. Her guidance councilor had once told her not to be so hard on herself all the time, but she simply scoffed it away. How could she not be hard on herself when everyone else around her expected so much? She let her sleep shirt fall back down before she turned to find her yoga mat._ '100 crunches will make up for it all.' _She thought as she laid down and began her first rep.

She finished her reps and moved on to a set of thigh toning work outs when there was a knock on her door. Reluctantly she bid them entrance. Roman stood in her door way with an odd quark in his eyebrow.

"Mom says that you need to get up and eat so we can star cleaning the house for everyone tonight." He scrunched his nose and added " You might also want to shower. I can smell you from here"

Santana fought the urge to roll her eyes and failed. She brushed back her hair that was sticky from early morning sweat.

"Fine whatever. If tonight turns out to be a flop then you owe me big time. " Roman waved her off and left for breakfast.

It was eleven by the time Santana was dressed and ready to eat breakfast. She pulled a bowl from the top shelf of a kitchen cabinet. Just as she was pouring the cereal out Maria Lopez emerged from the front room. It was clear by her sour look and the abundant stench of alcohol which radiated from her pores that she had fought with Santana's father the night before.

"You don't have time for that. If you wanted to eat you should have been down sooner. " Maria picked up the bowl and dumped its contents into the trash, before violently tossing it into the sink. "You can start with the downstairs bathroom. Your brother is working on the den. I expect this house to be spotless. I wont have house guests over with this place in shambles."

Santana gave her hung over mother a bitchy sneer as she gave a soft whatever and pushed by the women. 'She makes it sound as though this place were a sty' she thought bitterly. The truth was the Lopez house was almost always impeccably clean. They had a maid who cleaned every Tuesday and Thursday, not to mention they had learned very early on to keep the house clean or risk having a shoe tossed at your head.

The frustrated teen kicked the leg of a chair on her way to the bathroom just to emphasize her frustration that much more.

"You better cut the attitude Santana and if you wake your father you'll be having dinner alone in your room tonight."

Santana paid little attention to her mother's empty threats. The older woman would never chance embarrassment over something as stupid as punishment. Roman stood by the bathroom door waiting for her. She found that her patience for today was growing finer and finer with each interaction. Why couldn't anyone just leave her be?

"Jeeze San. What did you do?" he asked with a small frown. Santana ignored him and pushed into the bathroom, pulling out the things she needed from under the sink.

"I didn't do anything. Maria is the one acting like a crazy bitch this morning..." Santana sprayed the counters down and began to wash away the invisable grime that hadn't accumulated anywhere in sight.

"She's just on edge about tonight and I think she got into a fight with papi last night over what abuelita said after church.

"That doesn't give her an excuse to drink a Forty and act like a bitch the next morning."

Roman was at a loss. He didn't know how to comfort his sister so he just stayed quietly hanging in the door frame as she wiped down the mirrors.

"So who did you end up inviting over tonight?" a slight playful smile tugging at his lips. Santana eyed her brother warily. She knew that look all too well and didn't like what it meant.

" One of the guys from the football team, why?" She asked suspiciously.

"It wasn't the one you were mack'n face with the other night after the game was it, because he couldn't catch a ball to save his life."

Santana's face turned beat red though she had thought it was impossible.

"I-I..wait..you saw?! Were you creeping on me!" She asked smacking her brother in the arm. Roman flinched and laughed.

"No! Not intentionally. I took my girl to the football game. We hung around the stadium waiting for the crowed to clear and that's when I saw you call over number twenty for a quick make out. I've got to be honest I had to fight the urge to go kick that guys ass for touching my baby sister, but then I remember how much you probably needed to get some." He tossed her a small wink. "I was starting to wonder if you played for the other team." Roman teased.

Santana felt her mouth go dry, but her instincts told her to hit her brother harder in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You're such an ass. I'm-I'm not gay dick head. If you knew half the losers at my school you'd know they're not even remotely worth the level of hot that I'm pack'n and unlike the other stupid sluts at my school, I have no interest in getting knocked up at eighteen only to marry my baby daddy." She hit him again.

"It was just a joke. Calm down San. I was kidding. God."

From over their shoulder they could hear their mother shout.

"For the last time keep it down your father is taking a nap!" Santana rolled her eyes and began putting away the cleaning supplies.

"She's the one who's going to wake the dead" She muttered under her breath.

"Hey San, can I ask you one last thing and then I'll leave you alone?" Roman's voiced dropped into a more serious tone.

"Haven't you asked a lot from me already this week? You owe me like a hundred different things." Santana snapped back at him.

"Yea, but I'm your brother so you're obligated" He ignored his sister's scoff. " Can you at the very least try to be nice to my girlfriend tonight? She's a little—quirky. I already know she's going to feel awkward with mom and dad, but I don't need you giving her shit just because. So, even if you don't like her can you try to pretend that you do?" Roman asked biting the inside of his cheek.

Santana gave a low sigh and looked away, being nice to losers was not something she was good at and her patients was nearly at a breaking point and it was barely noon. However, this girl had her best friend's heart wrapped up and tied down in so many ways she was didn't even want to begin to think about it. Is that what love meant? She could hardly picture herself so in love with another girl that she would beg for mercy from her sibling. That kind of happiness seemed far too allusive for her to ever truly reach.

"Fine. Whatever." Santana begrudgingly agreed as she pushed past her brother to finish the rest of her chores.

* * *

Santana paced around her room trying to shake the little monsters that racked her insides. She stopped to look at herself in the mirror one last time. She had chosen to wear a simple black dress with her hair falling over her shoulders in waves. Her matching heals gave the outfit an extra kick of class that she needed. Most would see her outfit as a little to fancy for a dinner date at home, but after years of fashion lessons grilled into her by her family Santana couldn't bring herself to wear anything less.

The unmistakable chirp of the door bell caused the young girl to jump out of her skin. From downstairs she could hear her name being called. Santana adjusted her dress once more, wiped away a stray bit of gloss with her fourth finger, and made a face in the mirror before she was finally satisfied with her appearance. She reached the top landing which over looked the open sitting room where Puck stood by the door talking with Santana's mother. One look at him made her want to roll over and die.

Noah wore a pair of slacks two sizes too big for him with a dress shirt that was missing a button and a tie that hung loosely askew. Santana fought back a groan as she slowly walked down the stairs. Each step her anxiety grew. The night was already a long one and it was about to get a whole lot longer.

"Oh Santana, your –erm—boyfriend is here. We were just talking about football. Noah says he plays for McKinley. " Her mother shot her an unreadable look.

" 'Sup babe?" Noah asked pulling her in close and giving her a chapped kiss on the cheek. Santana smiled weakly. Awkward hung in the room like a thick cloud of smoke as they stood around gaping at each other. Santana opened her mouth to speak, but thankfully her brother's loud footsteps broke the silence.

"Britt is outside. She says she can't find parking because some jerk with a truck took up two spaces." Roman called as he rushed down the stairs and out the door. Unlike her date, Santana's brother was dressed very nicely with a well-tailored outfit and a nice tie. She shot Puck an annoyed look knowing it was his truck that was double parked.

"Why don't you two have a seat at the table." Her mother said ushering them toward the dinning room. Puck clumsily held out Santana's chair for her as she sat which she found annoying, but she graciously accepted. He then took the seat next to her and put his arm around the back of her chair.

"So how am I doing so far Lopez?" His eyes told her that he felt pretty proud of himself so far. She was willing to bet that Puck had never been so 'courteous' to a girl in his life, which made her feel even stupider for inviting him over. She could already tell tonight was about to be a train wreck.

"So far? You're failing. Who taught you how to put on a tie Puckerman? You look like you just left the trailer park. " She hissed. " Just eat your food and answer yes or no sir to anything your asked. Keep it short and simple. Got it?"

The light behind Noah's eyes dimmed a little as he removed his arm from around her chair back. Santana reached over and straightened his tie until it hung where it was supposed to. Mrs. Lopez bustled through the dinning room and into the kitchen , muttering a small "your father's coming" into Santana's ear as a warning. Navarro rounded the corner quietly with his usual displeased look hanging over his taut features. He stood behind the chair which sat at the head of the table waiting silently. Santana gave Noah a sharp jab to the ribs with her elbow.

"Stand and shake his hand." She grunted in his ear.

Noah quickly stood up and extended his hand to Santana's father, who begrudgingly took it.

"Erm—Good evening sir. I'm Noah Puckerman."

"Good evening Noah." Her father took his seat while her mother began bringing dishes out to the table. Santana was surprised she could function giving her state earlier that morning. "So Puckerman—That's a Jewish name if I'm not mistaken. " Santana clenched her teeth. 'Fuck' she had completely forgotten that Puck was Jewish. Not that there was anything wrong with that it simply meant that her supposed boyfriend wasn't catholic.

Santana gave and audible groan. Thankfully the click of the front door closing distracted her father from further interrogation of her date. She took a mental note to kill her brother later.

"That would be Roman. Have you met are oldest Noah?" Her mother asked in a sickening sweet voice.

"Sorry about that everyone. We got distracted out side." Roman called as he walked though the front sitting room into the dinning room. Santana kept her eyes trained on the stakes that sat in the center of the table or else she might kill her kin with a death glare. Next to her she could feel Noah stand along with her father. Santana huffed and stood secretly hoping Roman's girlfriend was as big of a flop as her date was.

"Hey what's up man! I'm Noah." Puck said reaching out his hand for Roman to take. "Can I just say you are a legend at McKinley. I would kill to have half your skill." Santana rolled her eyes. The last thing her brother needed was a bigger head. Her eyes finally came to rest on her father's back. He was shaking the hand of some girl, but obscuring her from view.

"Good evening and welcome. " Her father mused politely bending over and kissing the girl's hand . Santana would have balked at her father's old fashion manners had she not caught a glimpse of who he had bowed to. There standing in her kitchen merely feet away was the blonde from the locker room. Her pale cheeks blushed a soft shade of red as Navarro's lips pressed to her hand. Her bright smile turned Santana's blood to ice only to have it shatter and melt all over again when the girl's dazzling azul eyes caught her own watching. Santana could feel her own cheeks drain of all color as flashes of the dirty thoughts she had entertained in the last week danced through her mind. Her skin felt fevered and suddenly the room seemed to be spinning.

"I'm Brittany. Nice to meet you sir. You have a very nice home" Brittany smiled to Santana's father before moving past and stretching her hand out to Santana. Santana stood there for a long moment just looking at the girl's hand, unable to move or think. She could still feel Brittany's warm breath down her neck and the way her perfect tits sat in a ducky bra.

"I—I, um, Santana. I'm Santana." Santana snapped to taking Brittany's soft hand into her own with a small short shake. She was going to be sick.

"Noah. 'sup" Puck said somewhere in the distance. His tone a little too chipper to be considered friendly.

Santana felt as though the room was closing in around her as Brittany took a seat across from her at the dinner table. Roman and Puck both sat closest to her father while she and Brittany sat near Santana's mother. Santana could feel the girl's eyeing her, there was no doubt that she had recognized her from the locker room.

"Well now that everyone is here, let us bow our heads and say grace. You do know how to say grace don't you Noah?" Her father taunted.

"Yes sir."

"Wonderful. Why don't you start us off"

'_Fuck'_ Santana thought privately.

Puck looked to Santana, who offered no sort of help what so ever. She simply gave him a look that said 'Don't fuck this up'

"Okay so, dear god" Puck mumbled folding his hands and bowing his head like he had seen in movies and everyone else followed " Thanks for...being really awesome and stuff. Thanks for Mrs. Lopez's great looking grub. Thanks for Santana's killer legs. Thanks for –erm- "

"Jesus Christ" Santana whispered to herself.

"Thank you for this wonderful table full of family and friend. Thank you for bringing Roman and his beautiful family into my life. Thank you for Noah and his charming way with words. We ask that you guide the Titans to a victory in their next match and keep the players safe because they get hit really hard sometimes. Also if it's not too much trouble we'd like to ask that you take care of Mr. Mathews who lives behind Breadstix at the mall."

The room sat quietly, all eyes were now on Brittany who looked up from having her head bowed.

"Oh, right. Amen!" She said with a cheery smile. The room gave an echoed 'Amen' as they all crossed themselves.

"That was very nicely done Brittany. Is your family religious as well?" Navarro asked as he picked up a stake from the plate and passed it around to Noah.

"Not at all actually. My mother thinks church is a little pointless, but sometimes I go with friends. I learned how to pray from one of them."

"And what does your father say about that?" he asked almost incredulously.

"He's not really in my life, so I wouldn't know." Brittany said with a shrug. It was clear she didn't want to go into much detail on the subject.

"And what of your father Noah?" Mrs. Lopez asked trying to sway the focus.

"Not around ether ma'am. He walked out on my mom when I was a kid, but I know I have a half-black brother. He's a pretty cool dude. He's a freshmen now, but he's not really into sports or things like that." Santana could tell that nether of her parents were impressed. It was hard to tell who they approved of least. It seemed that Puck was currently the top choice.

Santana stared down at her plate pushing her peas and mashed potatoes around. For someone who hadn't eaten all day she was undoubtedly not hungry. Her body vibrated from the close proximity of the girl across from her, causing her stomach to somersault. She was more beautiful than Santana had remembered or fantasized. '_She's Roman's girlfriend. God why am I such a fucking idiot! Stupid fucking Roman and his hot fucking girlfriend—making me go to this stupid dinner',_ Santana ranted in her head. From the corner of her eye she could make out Brittany's soft floral pink dress and the way it fit her tall athletic figure perfectly. Uncomfortably she crossed her legs under the table only to be surprised by how slick they had become from a pool that had secretly gathered. '_Fucking fuck'_

"So what do you like to do in your free time Brittany?" Her mother asked in the hopes of preventing yet another awkward silence.

"Well I cheer..." Brittany mentioned as she took a bite from her plate. "I actually met Santana the other night when our teams played each other." Santana's eyes darted up in fear. She wouldn't say anything would she? Her heart stopped for a moment as she caught the girl's glass eyes studying her carefully. A wily smile was hidden by an innocent expression " She lent me some body spray because I was so smelly after cheering all night. At the time I had no idea she was Rome's sister. I was a little surprised when I saw her tonight." This girl was dangerous.

"Oh? What a small little world, isn't it Santana?" her mother gave a fake laugh and took a sip from her wine glass.

"What about you Noah? How did you meet my sister?" Roman asked trying to contribute to the flow thinking he was doing Santana a favor.

"Who me? I uh-" Noah began dumbly.

" We met in homeroom- well I mean I've known Noah for years, but we really didn't notice each other until homeroom this year. He likes everyone to think he's a bad boy, but secretly he's a romantic. Isn't that right baby?" Santana wanted to vomit on her own words. " He bought me flowers and left them in each of my classes before he asked me out." Noah gave her a queer look, but rolled with her little story.

"Yea totally did." He mumbled taking a large bite of steak.

"That's so sweet!" Brittany swooned in the corner. " Roman tossed his game football at me and yelled across the room that he was taking me out. I didn't have much of a choice, but it turned out to be worth it." Brittany giggled and gave Santana's brother a peck on the cheek. Santana glared at the stunning blonde. How dare she walk in here looking the way she did and flaunt herself around like some kind of prize. Santana could see in her sneaky gaze that she knew exactly what she was doing Santana and the small latina wanted to hate her for it.

Dinner went on in much of the same fashion. Santana's parents asked questions, Puck would answer, and Brittany would up-stage him at every turn. She seemed too good to be true and Santana wanted nothing more than for this awful dinner to conclude, so she could go upstairs and take a very long cold shower.

"Oh babe! Tell Santana what you told me outside." Santana rolled her eyes indirectly at her brother and let her gaze fall on Brittany with an uninterested expression despite the fact that she clung to every word that had fallen from the girl's lips thus far.

"Rome—I don't know—it's not a for sure thing yet." Brittany said hesitantly as she looked between Santana and her brother.

"Come on. She'll love it. Wont you San?"

Santana offered a small 'mhm' though it wasn't very convincing. Unless the news was that Brittany was actually a raging lesbian Santana didn't want to hear it at all.

"Um—well. I might be moving to Lima soon from Oakwood, which means I'll be transferring to McKinley. It's not set in stone yet because my cheer team really needs me and I'd hate to let them down." Brittany mumbled. This time it was her turn to look down. It seemed as though Santana's abrasive gaze was having an effect. _'Good. That's what she gets_' from across the table she could see Roman giving her a look that said _'You promised to play nice.' _

"That sounds –erm—great. I could maybe talk to Quinn about having you on our team. I am co-captain after all..." Santana internally kicked her self _'What the fuck Lopez! She comes over to your house just to torture you with her stunning good looks and sexy personality and you offer her a spot on the team? She's your brother's girlfriend. There is no winning here for you. You are not into masochism_ '

"Really? You would do that?" Brittany instantly perked up with the brightest smile Santana had ever seen. It made her heart do a series of small back flips and her stomach fill with a flurry of nerves.

"Sure. If you're any good." Santana muttered under her breath.

"Oh she's good. I saw her during that game I tripped in. Actually she's the reason I tripped." Puck chimed in only to get a collective dirty look from everyone.

"Thanks Santana." Brittany said softly giving Santana her first genuine smile of the night.

Santana's mother insisted on cleaning the table herself while Navarro sulked back to his office. Apparently he had several important messages which needed replies leaving the kids standing near the front door saying their goodbyes.

" It was nice meeting you bro. Thanks for saving my sister's butt tonight." Roman said clapping Puck on the back.

"Naw. It's no problem. She's totally worth it." Santana shifted uncomfortably as Puck put his arm around her shoulders. He still looked as though he had come from a trailer park, but now he smelled like it as well.

" It was nice meeting you Noah." Brittany said stepping forward to give him a hug.

"Please call me Puck. Everyone else does. Hopefully I'll see you around school." Santana gave him another sharp jab to the ribs. Brittany laughed as her eyes turned to Santana, who tried to look away.

"It was nice finally putting a name to a face, Santana. I hope I get to see you again sometime soon." Brittany chimed sweetly stepping far inside Santana's personal space bubble then was comfortable.

Santana clenched her teeth and braced her self as Brittany wrapped her arms around her in a gentle embrace. She could smell the delightful aroma of 'Sweet Pea and Peaches' that clung to Brittany's hair. Her heart pounded so fast that she thought it might explode or cause her to pass out. Santana's mind struggled to memorize ever subtle detail of the girl's body; like the way her breasts felt pushed against her own, how her hands delicately held Santana's shoulder blades, the way Brittany's knee pushed just barely between Santana's legs, or like the way her nose grazed the inside of the smaller girl's neck sending shivers to quake Santana's body. Unfortunately there were thousands of details that were missed because the hug lasted only a fraction of a second, but it was enough to send Santana's head spinning.

"Yea, nice meeting you to Britt-" Santana was cut off as Puck pulled her aside.

"So I'm out of here, but I wanted to give my favorite girl a proper goodbye because I'm a romantic or somethin'" Puck said with a smirk.

"That's not nessi-" unable to protest further, Santana fought the urge to knee Noah in the balls as he pressed his lips into hers. She could feel her brother and Brittany trying their very best not to watch. The kiss was awkward and uncomfortable for anyone close by. This was clearly pay back, so she went along with it hoping it would end soon. When it did Noah offered a short 'later babe' and walked out the door .

Santana stood facing her brother, who was trying his best not to laugh. Brittany rubbed his arm softly trying to help. There was a small look of pity for Santana in her eyes which pissed the hot-headed latina off to no end.

"I'm going to bed." She announced and stormed her way up the stairs. She slammed the door with a loud thud that echoed through the house. By the time she kicked off her heals, her temper had calmed. She pulled back her hair and re-emerged from her room to give a proper goodbye. She reached the balcony which over looked the stairs, front door and living room areas of her house. She opened her mouth to make her presence known only to be halted by what she saw.

Brittany and Roman held each other close softly whispering over some private joke shared between the two of them. His hands were locked together around her back while her hands sat drawing shapes on his perfectly sculpted chest. Roman must have said something cute because Brittany giggled, blushed, and looked away shyly. Santana watched as her brother placed soft kisses along her neck just the way she had dreamed of doing. Brittany's body rocked into his on instinct before turning her head to find his lips. Unlike her kiss with Puck, nothing between them was forced. Roman's kissed seemed to leave the blonde utterly breathless.

Santana couldn't bring herself to look away from such a private moment between the two even though she knew it was wrong to look. As the kiss grew deeper Santana could feel her temperature rise. She longed to be the one holding Brittany the way he was. She wanted to be the one to run her fingers through the girl's thick blonde hair and whisper secretes in her ear. She watched the two make out for a moment longer, but just as she was about to turn away Brittany's eyes opened mid kiss. The bright simmering blue found Santana rich chocolate-brown instantly. Santana's breath caught in her throat as Brittany watched her while kissing her brother. There was something totally unreadable in the blondes expression. She looked in pain or maybe just the opposite; aroused.

Santana gave a small gasp before turning on her heel and swiftly returning to her room. She didn't stick around to see Brittany break off the kiss or the way Roman proudly walked his girlfriend out to the car for the night, unaware of anything that had just passed between the two most important girl's in his life.

Santana slid down the back of her door and sat against the floor, pulling her knees into her chest as she closed her eyes and replayed the last several moment over and over again in her mind. The look Brittany had given her made her legs quiver and her chest flutter. How was it that one girl could have so much power over her? It didn't make sense. Santana remained rooted to the spot until she fell into another restless sleep against the carpet. Her dreams were once again filled with Brittany and the bright blue eyes which seemed to shatter everything Santana had ever known.

* * *

_**A/N- Sorry for the wait! Please review and let me know what you think! A lot has happened in this chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who's read my stuff so far. You guys are the best!**_


	5. Spying

**Chapter Five:**

**Spying**

Santana sat in the small pew behind the Fabray family though her eyes remained firmly fixed on the priest who continued his segment on damnation from the week before. The first ten minutes of the lesson rocked Santana's core a little, as it always did when talk about where she would spend the afterlife turned up. However as the monotoned man spoke, the novelty wore off and Santana found herself slipping back into her own thoughts.

She had spent the majority of the morning avoiding any conversation regarding the night before, as did her parents. It was Roman who seemed hell-bent on finding out what she thought of his girlfriend.

"Come on San, you can tell me, what did you really think of her? " He persisted following her around the house as she dressed and brushed her teeth.

"Why does it matter what I think? You're the one who's crazy about her, shouldn't that be all that matters?" She said picking up her pace around the house hoping he would notice the brush off and go away.

"I mean I'm going to keep dating her no matter what you say- it's just that what you think is important to me. You're the only family I'm close to." his sincerity made Santana even more annoyed.

"I don't know what you want me to say. She's good-looking and all, but she's kind of weird. She seems like one of those people who are insufferably sweet like, all the time. She's whatever. If we were at school together I wouldn't go out of my way to talk to her, but I also wouldn't give her shit ether." Santana lied.

Brittany was stunningly adorable only made more perfect by how kind-hearted she seemed. It wasn't a far stretch to picture all the animals of the forest flocking to the girl because her heart seemed so pure. Santana kicked herself for having such thoughts about her again. Brittany was beyond off-limits which put Santana in a foul mood from the start of the day. She needed a way to start clean and throw these feelings away.

As Santana sat pretending to really listen she remembered how Quinn had gone to confession just the week before. It didn't seem like a particularly fun thing to do, but she had always been taught that she should turn to God when she had troubles beyond her control. Plus there was some bizarre promise of digression when it came to confession.

Santana was pulled from her thoughts once more by the feeling of being watched. Her eyes glanced around to her mother who sat alone next to Roman. Their father had for gone church due to some emergency at the hospital. Nether were looking at her. Her eyes trailed back to the pew in front of her where , sure enough, Quinn was watching her with an intense stare. Santana's stomach knotted at the way her former crush watched her, but she batted those feelings away, instead she furrowed her brow.

"What's up with you?" Quinn lipped silently. She could feel the knots growing tighter. How did Quinn know there was something even 'up'? Santana shrugged and shook her head as if to say nothing was wrong. Quinn opened her mouth to protest, but was deterred by a sharp smack to the thigh by Judy Fabray. Both girl's attention snapped back to the front and didn't waver until the service had ended.

When the final hymn had been sung and everyone had finished greeting each other with a series of 'Peace be with you's ', Quinn turned back around to Santana while Judy and Maria chatted.

"Okay, for real. What is up with you Lopez? You're usually in a bad mood or whatever , but today it's just pathetic. You've got wounded puppy written all over your face. What's going on where's your dad?" Quinn dug.

"Nothing is 'up' with me. I just had a crappy night last night." Santana tried to deflect but it didn't work.

"Does this have anything to do with the rumors about you and Puck?"

Santana's eyes flicked back to Quinn's. How the hell did she know already it hadn't even been twenty-four hours.

"Please, Noah and Finn are bros for life. They tell each other everything, so of course Finn told me that you and Puck were dating. What I want to know is why you didn't bother to tell me, since I'm like the only friend you have." Quinn snapped placing her hands at her hips, waiting for an answer Santana didn't have.

"I—uh-" She struggled to find words to explain what had happened, but remembered the conditions Noah had set out. She had to endure this for one week, go to a dumb dance, and then it would be over. It couldn't hurt her rep at school ether. "It's new. He asked me out on Friday and I said I couldn't be his girlfriend unless he met my parents, so he came over last night. That's it. Things didn't go so well because Puck is well...Puck." Santana explained.

"Well keep me in the loop next time. You should also know that Angelica is having knee surgery and wont be on the team any longer this year. We're going to need to hold try outs."

Santana could see the priest cleaning up and about to leave, motivating her to end this conversation.

"Uh—yea. Cool. Whatever. I think I know a girl, but if you'll excuse me I've got to go talk to the father-" Santana left Quinn looking as confused as ever as she pushed her way through the congregation toward the confession booths.

"San, what are you doing?" called Roman from across the room.

"Just give me a few minutes and then I'll be out." she yelled back before taking a deep breath and pulling the priest aside. "Father Thomas, I was wondering if I could—erm-" She nodded toward the confession booth. The elderly man seemed a little surprised, but smiled and nodded .

"Of course my child. Go in and have a seat I'll be with you in just a few moments."

Santana thanked him and entered the small booth, thankful that most everyone had left for the lobby already. She sat quietly trying to think of all the things she wanted to get off her chest. Her nerves jittered causing her legs to bounce of their own accord. She had never told another living person her secretes before and she worried weather or not she could be forgiven. The door on the other side of the small screen opened and startled Santana.

"Good afternoon Miss. Lopez what would you like to confess today?" The elderly priest was surprisingly pleasant for someone who had spent the last two hours discussing what awaits in purgatory.

"In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. My last confession was er—never." Santana began. It was really the only thing she could remember about confession from catechism class. The old man chuckled.

"I see you at least remember something from all our time together, but I think for now we can skip formality. God will understand." She couldn't see his eyes, but she could hear the amusement in his voice. She let out a small breath which helped calm her anxieties.

"Father, I've come here to confess a sin a few actually, but I'm afraid that there is no forgiveness for them. I've broken commandments and committed mortal sins. I feel trapped with no way out. I've come here to ask forgiveness and a fresh start, so can move on and live a life that makes me and God happy." She said miserably.

" Santana, from what I have seen you are a good and smart girl. Maybe you're a little rough around the edges, but I can assure you that if you are truly sorry there is nothing our lord god can not forgive you for." His words relaxed Santana a little. This confession thing wasn't so bad after all.

"Father, I've –I have unnatural feelings for a girl who I've met, but it's not just her. I fear that I'm gay and there is nothing anyone can do about that. To make it worse the girl who I have these confusing feelings for is my brother's girlfriend." Santana looked down at her hands. Her words hung quietly in the air for a long moment. She waited for the father to cast her out or react harshly in some way, but he did not.

"I see. That is a very heavy burden to bear Santana. First let me begin by telling you that God loves all his children no matter the struggles they face and if you put your faith in him, he will lead you to the answers you seek. Coveting something a sibling has is breaking one of the lords commandments, so I'd like you to keep that in mind when you see your brother. Instead of focusing on what he has that you do not try to consider his happiness above your own. As for the woman who you claim to be lusting after, there are worse things in this life than loving someone. That being said I want you to try to curb you attraction. Look at her as though she or the others you meet as fellow sisters. Love them as you would love your brother. You would not have intimate relations with your brother because that is an abomination in the lord's eyes."

The father spoke softly like a wise grandfather to Santana. His words seemed to make perfect sense as she sat there and listened quietly. She was over come with a sense of relief and accomplishment. Maybe she would be able to move forward just like that.

"This evening I'd like you to pray the rosary three times and I'd also like you to take this."

From a small slot the priest pushed through a small pan-flit. On the front it seemed like a regular weekend bible study flier, but as she looked closer at the inside contents Santana realized it was a camp where they tried to 'heal' the gay out of you. She swallowed thickly.

"I'd like you to attend at least once, Santana. See how it works for you. If it doesn't, that's okay. There are other things out there that could help you. This is simply one of them. Your parents don't have to know. It will appear as though you're going to a regular bible study camp every other week. All I ask is that you think it over."

His words rattled around her brain, but she didn't really hear them. Until now being gay had never really felt real to her, but holding that flier was like finding out that she was sick or sicker then she had previously though. She felt like an AA patient finally owning up to having a drinking addiction and her insides became racked with guilt.

"Thank you father. I'll think about it." she whispered.

"If that's all my dear, I think your family is waiting for you." He said with a kind smile in his voice.

Santana shoved the flier down deep into her purse and left the booth as quickly as possible.

* * *

Monday wasn't much of an improvement on her mood as Santana gathered her things up and began to walk toward fourth period. Her mind continuously jumped around as she tried to figure out what to do about Puck, Brittany, church camp and the cheer team. It felt as though she would have an answer to one question only to have it slip from her grasp when she was reminded of a different problem. It had her brooding around campus all day. It didn't help that every time she found a spare moment, Puck would round the corner to walk to class with his 'smoken hot girlfriend'.

Thankfully as Santana walked down the hall it was only Quinn who stood next to her locker. At first Santana hated the fact that the hot blonde's locker had been placed right next to her own. It felt as thought the cosmos loved to torture Santana, but as the year wore on Santana seemed to mind less and less. At least she didn't have to waste her whole passing period to catch up on the latest gossip.

"Hey, how was the English test?" Quinn asked pulling her things out with out taking a second glance at Santana. She shrugged and opened her own combo, only to come face to face with the pan-flit from yesterday. Santana bit her lip, but pretended nothing was amiss.

"Shitty. Fucking Bentley turned it into a timed essay. I'd tell you the prompts, but he wrote different ones for every class."

"uh—Excuse me. Santana?"

Santana nearly jumped out of her skin and slammed her locker door shut suspiciously fast.

"What?" She growled turning on her heals to come face to face with a startled Rachel Berry. Santana could feel Quinn's eyes watching her closely. The weird cat sweater girl regain an obnoxious level of confidence and cleared her throat.

"Hello, I'm Rachel Berry. No doubt you've heard of me from my extremely popular web-series entitled-"

"No." Santana said sharply.

"E-excuse me I didn't—no what?" Rachel's confidence wavered.

"No, I don't know. I wouldn't be caught dead watching anything that you or your lame ass Glee club posts on the Internet. If you're here to ask me or Quinn to join you can forget it." The girl's face fell a little, but all Santana cared about was if she had seen into her locker.

"I just thought that you might like to join a club where your talents are actually appreciated and not over shadowed by-" Santana cut Rachel off, this time by taking a blue slushy from the hand of a freshmen walking by and then dumping it on the girl's head. Quinn gasped and covered her mouth trying not to laugh.

"Get the picture now, Hobbit? We're not interested, so why don't you and your hideous cat sweaters make your way to the locker rooms and change before I go all Lima Heights on your ass." Santana watched as the poor girl fought back tears before taking off.

"Jesus Santana. That was cold." Quinn smirked, but didn't protest what she had done any further.

It wasn't until fourth period was half way over that Santana began to even consider there might be consequences to her actions. Becky Jackson, couch Sue's new pet marched into her classroom and interrupted as though what she had to say were far more important than any lesson they could be learning.

"Coach Sue wants to see Lopez in her office stat." She stated before turning on her heel and storming right back out of the room. Santana roller her eyes and gathered her things up. She couldn't stand that little munchkin. She was almost as bad as Berry, almost.

Santana gave a single sharp knock on Sue's door before walking in. Quinn sat in the furthest open chair looking back at Santana.

"Look she had it coming-" Santana began, but it was Sue's turn to cut her off.

"Whatever you're about to prattle on about, forget it. I have much bigger fish to fry. Q, has told me all about the Oakwood girl's and how they have some kind of secrete weapon they're planning to use at nationals this year I'm sending you two on a mission to scope out what this weapon is, so we can figure out how to destroy it. I've already taken the liberty of calling your mothers and explaining that you'll be going home sick, nether of which seemed to care. I want you to take my credit card and drive to Oakwood and get me some answers." Coach slammed her fist down causing both girls to flinch.

Santana knew there was no arguing with Sue on this matter, but going to Oakwood meant seeing Brittany. She wasn't sure she was prepared to view the sexy blond as a fellow sister just yet.

A half an hour later Santana sat in her Prius looking toward the stadium where her arch rivals could be heard practicing. She tapped her steering wheel anxiously not sure whether to get out or not.

"Are we going over there or are we just going to sit here like lame asses Santana?" Quinn asked impatiently.

"They're not going to be happy if they catch us spying on them." Santana muttered knowing it was a piss poor excuse.

"They're not going to see us. We're going to stand-off to the side of the bleachers where those trees are over there. They wont even notice us unless they knew to where to look for us."Quinn said confidently opening her door and getting out. Santana gave a low groan. Maybe she should have just gone home sick like Sue had said, but she got out of the car regardless. Mentally she tried to brace herself for the person she might see, but it did little to calm the butterflies floating around her stomach once again.

The walk to where Quinn had pointed out was short and gave them a prime view of the field. It took Santana only a moment to spot the ginger bitch captain barking orders.

"God I can't stand her" Quinn growled under her breath. "Okay so who is that girl right there? She looks like she's instructing some of the other cheerleaders." Santana followed Quinn's line of sight until she found Brittany. Granted her back was turned to them as she faced another girl, but Santana would recognize her anywhere. She didn't say anything to Quinn, instead she continued to watch.

Brittany's hands extended and grabbed hold of the cheerleader's hips swaying them back and forth. She pointed to the girl's leg and motioned for her to stick it as far out as possible. The move looked familiar, but Santana couldn't put her finger on in. She couldn't take her eyes away from the girl's perfectly tone ass. She easily remembered with it had looked like in the light blue thong she had worn that night in the locker room.

Subconsciously Santana bit her lip as she watched. Brittany took a step back from the girl and did a small count off before demonstrating the move properly.

"Single Ladies."

Santana almost didn't hear Quinn over the dizzying feeling in her head. The way Brittany had moved her hips just for that half a second made it impossible to view her as just a friend. The return of the ache between her legs confirmed it.

"Huh?"

"She's teaching them moves from the 'single ladies' dance to add to their routine. I think the rumors about the professional dancer were true." Quinn grumbled. That was bad news for the cheerios, but even worse news for Santana's libido.

They continued to watch as Red called the team together for a run through. Strangely the girl took Brittany's right hand side instead of standing center-stage where captains usually stand. A medly of Beyonce music blasted through the stadium as the girls began their routine.

As expected the moves were complex; mixed with back-flips, round offs, back hand springs, and a series of other stunts which generally came with cheer routines. Their form was sloppy and a few girls missed their marks, which was something the judges had come to expect from the Wolfpack over the years, but Brittany never missed a beat. Her beauty and precision distracted Santana from the other sloppy girls who lacked good training. Her focused faced seemed to love every moment she was in motion. Unlike every other cheerleader Santana had ever know, Brittany's smile seemed genuine.

The dance only lasted a few moments leaving all the girls out of breath. Brittany panted, but she looked pleased with the team, Red however, did not.

"They were sloppy, but that routine was good. Too good. If that girl can clean up their technique, we might have a problem." Quinn said folding her arms tightly over her chest looking to Santana for a reaction or a comment.

Unfortunately Santana was frozen to the spot. Across the field Brittany stood waving to them while Red bitched out the rest of the team.

"She's not waving at us is she?" Quinn asked, just as baffled as Santana felt.

"I don't know..." Santana looked around to see who else the girl could be saying 'Hi' to, but there was no one around. 'Shit' Santana thought. She offered Brittany half a wave back only to have the bubbly blonde jog over toward them.

"Fuck! San why is she coming over here? How did she see us?"

Santana didn't answer yet again. She could just make out Red eying Brittany. A dark scowl shadowing her features as she followed over.

"Hey Santana ! What are you doing here?" Brittany's chipper voice called to the brooding latina. Santana didn't get a chance to answer before their Wolfpack captain strolled up from behind.

"Funny. I was about to ask you the same question. You know it's against league rules to spy on other teams right? You could be disqualified for this. I thought you of all people would know that Lucy." Red smirked darkly.

"Oh get over yourself. We weren't here spying..." Santana snapped back at the rude girl. Her eyes flicked to Brittany who looked like someone had just kicked her dog.

"Then why were you here?" Red raised her eye brow expectantly. Quinn opened her mouth in the hopes that a witty answer might come out , but there was nothing. They were caught red handed and both girl's knew it.

"Santana was actually picking me up from school today. Her brother is my boyfriend, but he got caught up at practice. I was just surprised she got here so early. I mentioned to you that I was moving. Santana lives closer to my house and I didn't want to inconvenience anyone. Isn't that right Sanny?" Brittany's innocent Crystal eyes locked with Santana's for the third time in the last week. She couldn't think. She couldn't breath. She couldn't even move,but some how she managed to give a small nod.

"Yea. I'm here to give her a ride home. Quinn came with me because we ditched school to get a good lunch instead of a crappy school one. Do Have a problem with that?" Santana clenched her teeth and forced herself to look at Red, who had an ugly sneer on her face.

"Whatever. That wasn't even our main routine anyway. Go ahead and go, Brittany,but you better not tell them anything." Red turned and marched off to take her frustrations out on her team.

"Do you mind filling me in on what the fuck is going on here?" Quinn demanded to know.

Santana rolled her eyes.

"I'll tell you in the car. Go get your things." She ordered Brittany, who seemed more than happy to skip off and grab her bag.

Once again Santana sat in her small fuel-efficient car staring at the football field trying to ignore the girl's in her car.

"Do you guys mind if we get some food first? I'm starving." Brittany chirped in the back center seat.

Santana pulled out of the parking lot and began the inconvenient trip back to Lima as Quinn started her onslaught of questions.

"So you're telling me, she's Ro's Girlfriend?" From the corner of Santana's eye she could see Quinn look back over her shoulder at Brittany. She flicked up to her review mirror only to see Brittany watching her before turning her attention to Quinn.

"I sure am. He's a sweetheart. My brother plays football with him. We met at a party." Brittany explained. Santana gritted her teeth and kept her eyes on the road. This was some kind of social nightmare. Her old crush and her new crush sitting together in her car talking about her brother.

"Brittany was the one I mentioned yesterday who I thought might be able to replace Angelica, although at the time I didn't know she could dance like that. Roman brought her over for dinner Saturday night with Puck. " Santana added sheepishly as Quinn glared at her. Clearly she wasn't happy about all the secretes floating around.

"Who's Puck? I don't remember meeting a puck."

"Noah Puckerman. My—my boyfriend" Santana nearly choked on her words.

"Oh! The one with the missing button on his shirt. He was funny. I enjoyed talking with him. You guys are cute together. " Brittany gave Santana a playful smile which she pretended not to see. The leggy blonde turned her attention back to Quinn. "Hi by the way. It's nice to meet you. What's your name by the way. When it's my turn to ask all about your life I'd like to have a name to go with a face."

Santana tried her best to hold back a smile. Quinn didn't find Brittany's playful sarcasm nearly as charming. As a matter of fact Santana didn't think Quinn knew she was being sarcastic at all.

"Quinn Fabray. I'm captain of the Cheerios."

"I love Cheerios! Especially the honey-nut kind."

For the first time since Santana had known her , Quinn seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Who's up for a little mexican?"

"That's so racist." Brittany dead panned, but the glint in her eye told Santana she knew just what she was saying. How was this girl so many wonderful things at once? With one look she could melt Santana from the inside out, she seemed the perfect balance of sweet and kind, yet held a wildly nature that Santana could not pin down, and now even more frustrating the girl was far too wonderfully brilliant for even Quinn to keep up with. How was a girl like Brittany real.

They didn't take long gathering their burritos and quesodillas from a quaint little shop off the side of the road. In the interest of saving time they agreed to eat in Santana's car on pain of death if they spilled a single drop. They ate and drove quietly the rest of the way only stopping to speak to get directions to Brittany's house.

"So do you think you'll be switching to McKinley, Brittany? Our cheer team is way better even though our football players suck." Quinn finally asked breaking the silence.

"I'm not sure. Winning isn't that important to me. The girl's at Oakwood aren't very nice. I much rather cheer for a team where people are friendly. Plus I don't want to make Santana uncomfortable."

Santana nearly slammed on the breaks as they came to a stop light.

"Wha-Why would I be uncomfortable?" She stammered angrily at the girl in her back seat.

Brittany shrugged.

"I don't know. It might just be weird since I'm dating your brother. If I had class with someone who was dating my brother I know I'd feel weird about it. Plus, all I'd think about is them kissing. "

Santana glared daggers at the girl through the mirror, but kept her tone even.

"Please. I can promise you that would not be a problem for me. Besides, if you haven't forgotten I have my own boyfriend I can fantasize about kissing. "

Brittany gave a silent laugh as though she very much doubted what was going on between Santana and Puck were real, however with Quinn in the car both girls continued to play the clueless game. It was becoming very confusing for Santana as she tried to figure out what it was Brittany did and did not know.

"That's my house." Brittany said pointing to a small little apartment complex that had seen better day. Quinn turned around to face Brittany.

"Why don't you visit our school tomorrow. Santana can pick you up and you can spend the day at McKinely—you know, see if you like it. You can make sure Santana isn't uncomfortable or whatever." Quinn gave a sweet fake smile that Santana could tell Brittany didn't believe for an instant. Santana turned her glare to Quinn who seemed not to give a damn what she thought.

"That sounds perfect. Pick me up at 7:30 tomorrow Sanny?" Brittany asked in her sweet innocent voice. Santana cringed at the new nickname, however there was something so annoying about the way she said it that almost made Santana find the name precious.

"Yea whatever." She said looking out her driver's side window refusing to look at the beautiful blonde again. She was being played hook and line, but she'd be damned before she let Brittany sink her.

The door closed and Santana couldn't stop herself from watching her bounce away towards the safety of her apartment complex.

"I don't care if her brain is full of cotton candy Santana, you will be fucking nice to her tomorrow. We need her on are team if we're going to crush Red and her Wolfpack bitches." Quinn said flatly as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Something told her that being mean to Brittany would be nearly impossible to do, no matter how infuriating the sexy smart blonde was.

* * *

***A/N- Hey guys! I just wanted to say thank you so much to the people who gave my stories C2s. That's really flattering. Also thank you so much for your sweet words. Your comments make me a better writer every day. I hope you liked this chapter so please review!**

**Also I'd be so grateful if you guys checked out my one shot called Shooting Star from Britt's POV. It's not too triggering, but you see the world through Britt's eyes. It's my first stab at second person narrative and I'd love some feedback on it.**


	6. New Student

**Chapter Six**

**New Student**

Santana glared through her large sun glasses while she sat at the stop light in front of Brittany's apartment building. It was nearly 7:30 in the morning and according to Santana, way too fucking early to be awake. Sunlight was barley illuminating the empty streets of Ohio as she turned into the small parking lot. To make it worse the apartments Brittany lived in reminded her of some place cops might bust a drug dealers. Not exactly the safest place to be, no matter the time of day.

Santana parked and waited for a moment in an attempt to wake up a little more before walking up to Brittany's door. She was really starting to wish she had stopped to get a cup of coffee or something, but had she done so there would be no way she could have made it to school in time.

"Fucking Quinn..." Santana grumbled under her breath as she grabbed her purse and slammed the door to her Prius shut. Why did she have to invite Brittany to their stupid lame ass high school. The Oakwood girl seemed to be more then content where she was at, so why mess with a good thing. Even worse, if Brittany chose to go to McKinley then Santana would have to see her all the time. Roman would constantly be inviting her over and Santana would never get a good nights rest again.

No matter how much she fought it the out come seemed to be inevitable. Brittany was moving down to Lima and William McKinley was the only logical school for her to attend, team loyalty be damned. The thought spun knots into Santana's belly as she reached the door she glimpsed Brittany slip into the day before. She took a moment to glance down at what she was wearing.

Despite loathing her own attraction to the tall sexy blonde, she couldn't help trying to impress her at every turn. Today her hair fell to her shoulders made it seem as if she weren't really trying, her white top with black roses printed all over accentuated her cleavage which just barely passed school protocol, and her high waisted jeans hung on her hips adding a casual flare. Over all Santana was pretty satisfied with the way she looked.

Taking a sharp breath, she rapped on the door hard, trying to communicate her early morning frustration. For a moment she thought she hard someone running around inside, but she couldn't be sure. There were a few clicks before the door opened just a crack for Brittany to peak out.

"Morning San, I'll be ready in just a second." Brittany said nervously. She refused to open the door wide enough for Santana to glimpse inside. By the looks of her messy hair she had just woken up.

"Okay , well can I at least come in? It's fucking cold out here." Santana crossed her arms impatiently. Brittany's eyes darted around, but then she quickly shook her head.

"Sorry no. I'll only take a minute." She closed the door leaving Santana just as confused as always. Santana scoffed and pulled her phone out of her pocket, just as it began to vibrate.

**'Morning Sexy.' **read a text from Puckerman. She couldn't help, but roll her eyes. This casual fake dating thing going on between them was getting to be a little too life like. Santana was beginning to wonder if Puck might actually have feelings for her. She sent him back a **'Hey'**, hoping that would satisfy him.

The door to Brittany's apartment open and shut quickly, Santana was able to catch the other girl locking the place up. Brittany slipped the key under the mat and turned back to face Santana with a smile brighter then the lights peaking over the horizon. She wore a pair of short shorts and a unicorn t-shirt that had been cut to hang off the shoulder. It was completely stupid, but some how Brittany made it look sexy. Santana slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"Where's your backpack?" She questioned suspiciously. Brittany simply cocked her head to the side considering Santana's question.

"I'm only visiting right? I don't really need a backpack today." Brittany mused.

The answer was good enough for Santana. The last thing she wanted was to try and make small talk at 7:30 in the morning.

"My car's this way." she grumbled leading the way.

Santana unlocked her car and got in. It was then that she realized that she was alone with Brittany for the very first time since they had met, but not just alone; she was stuck in a very small car with no where to go for the next fifteen to twenty minutes. Next to her the passenger door opened and Brittany slid in. The smell of her perfume filled the car almost immediately, leaving Santana's heart fluttering.

"_Get a hold of yourself Lopez."_ She mentally scolded her self. To a right there was a small giggle. Santana's head snapped to Brittany who sat smiling with her seat belt fastened. Her expression made Santana weather or not she could read a persons mind. If that was the case, Santana was fucked.

"You're not really a morning person are you?" the girl asked softly as though Santana were some angry bear about to be awakened from hibernation, which wasn't totally far from the truth. Santana pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.

"No. Not really."

"Okay...Do you mind if I turn the radio on? " Brittany asked in an attempt to fill the awkward silence. "It usually helps me when I'm a cranky duck in the morning."

"I—what? I'm not a-a 'cranky-duck'." Santana stammered. " Who even says that?"

"I do." Brittany smirked. She seemed content having gotten some kind of reaction out of Santana. 'She does this on purpose. _'Stop letting her get to you so much Lopez!'_ Santana rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses and punched the knob to the radio. "Just play with this to find a station." She pointed out.

Brittany leaned forward and played with the knobs until she found something she knew. Santana held her breath and tried to focus on the road.

"Oh I love this song!" Brittany suddenly said with a big grin. Her fingers snapped with the beat as she began to hum and dance along.

**I've never seen a diamond in the flesh  
I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies  
And I'm not proud of my address,  
In the torn-up town, no post code envy**

Santana couldn't help, but glance over at the girl. She loved this song too. A small smile played at her lips as she tried to ignore the girl dancing—like really dancing next to her, however Brittany didn't seem to want that to happen. She began catering her performance to Santana.

**But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom  
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,  
We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams.  
But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your time piece.  
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.  
We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair.**

Brittany nudged Santana's shoulder a little trying to get her to join in. Santana couldn't stifle her laughter anymore. She shook her head and smiled.

"You're crazy!"

"I know, but it make life a little more fun don't you think? Come on sing with me!" Brittany begged she held up an invisible mic for Santana to sing into, but she just pushed the girl's hand away.

"I can't I'm driving Britt."

**Let me be your ruler (ruler),****  
You can call me queen Bee  
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule.  
Let me live that fantasy.**

"Liar! You so can! Do it come on. No one is around just belt it out!" the girl egged on.

Looking back Santana wasn't quite sure what possessed her to go along with the game, but it felt like a turning point down a never ending rabbit hole. She laughed and held up her finger for Brittany to wait one beat. As the next verse came around she opened her mouth and began to sing while also turning up the volume.

**My friends and I – we've cracked the code.  
We count our dollars on the train to the party.  
And everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this,  
We didn't come from money.**

But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom.  
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,  
We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams.  
But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your time piece.  
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash  
We don't care we aren't caught up in your love affair

Brittany danced while Santana sang the rest of the song, occasionally offering a few back up notes. When the song ended both girls couldn't help their laughter.

"Wow you're such a good singer Santana! Like...really really good" Brittany said pretended to be a little shocked. Santana simply rolled her eyes.

"I'm not that good and this stays between us."

"You got it captain. Oh, hey your phone is buzzing." Brittany pointed to the cup holder where Santana nearly forgotten she had set her phone when they first got in.

"Go ahead and look for me." Santana said without really thinking about it. She lowered the volume while the commercials played.

"Uh. It's puck. He says 'Wanna meet up to get our mac on before class.'He says he'll be waiting for you in your 'special spot' " Brittany quoted dryly.

Santana pursed her lips. She could sense the awkward suddenly rising in the car.

"I—uh—sorry. I didn't know—I'll text him back when we get to McKinley" Santana offered sheepishly.

"Don't be sorry. He's your boyfriend right? I mean the things Roman and I say over text sometimes-" Santana could see the blush rising in Brittany's cheeks just a little. It left a sour taste in her mouth. " So you and Puck...how long—I mean you seem to be really comfortable with each other. You must have been with him for a while."

Santana raised her eyebrow as she pulled into the parking lot of the school.

"Not as long as you might think. We went to grade school together so I've known him a long time" Santana muttered quietly under her breath.

"That must be nice. I've never really stayed at one school long enough to get to know people like that. My mom is always trying to find work, so we move quite a bit." Brittany shrugged.

Santana parked without saying anything more.

"Hey, if you want to go find Noah, just point me in the direction of Quinn and she can show me around." Brittany said as she climbed out of the car.

"No. It's fine really. The halls are confusing and Puck is irritating me right now." She said pulling her backpack out of the back seat and locking her purse in the trunk where no one could see. "First period is about to start, we should go there first and meet up with Quinn after during passing period." Santana lead the way already feeling exhausted. It was going to be a long damn day.

Passing period came and went, but there was no sign of Quinn anywhere. Santana might have been annoyed if she wasn't so caught up in Brittany. No matter where they seemed to go people flocked to her almost instantly. Her fellow students seemed to adore her though they found her a little strange. Maybe the effect she had on Santana wasn't so uncommon after all.

Santana made a point to sit in the back of each class that day so that way she could quietly whisper important information, like the latest gossip. Most of the teachers thought she was just explaining the way the school worked and in a way she was.

"...That girl over there wears the same stupid shirt to school everyday and I'm pretty sure she's sleeping with booger boy over there." Santana muttered in Brittany's ear. Brittany kept her attention straight ahead choosing not to say anything about it. She seemed to rather pay attention to the teacher then Santana's words, which of course Santana felt annoyed by. She wanted Brittany's attention all to herself.

"Can anyone tell me who Napoleon Bonaparte was?" the teacher asked the class, but as usual the students seemed to stare up at her with blank faces. Santana of course new the answer, but the last thing she wanted was to look like a nerd. However Brittany's hand shot up in the air.

Santana gave her a confused look. Did she really not know how things worked in school? Oakwood couldn't be much different then McKinley.

"Yes? Brittany?" The teacher said expectantly.

"He was the guy who decided to put all three flavors of ice cream into one." Brittany stated confidently. The room erupted into a fit of laughter. People patted Brittany's shoulder and even the teacher cracked a smirk at her little joke. Santana sat there watching the girl closely, because something seemed off. Brittany smiled along with everyone else, but it wasn't the same smile that could light a dark room. It was a hurt smile. A smile that had been developed through awkward situation after awkward situation so no one could see the the truth behind it. It was a smile that Santana had perfected to a science.

Could they not see that she had been a hundred percent serious? It was probably better that they hadn't. Santana couldn't help but wonder if Brittany had ever endured bullying for a lack of book smarts. The thought made her insides ache.

When the laughter died down the teacher resumed her lesson on the after effects of the French Revolution. Santana couldn't help, but watch Brittany grow quiet. She leaned over and gave her a small nudge, which Brittany offered the same fake smile she had given to all the other. Unsure of what to say Santana dropped it.

In the next class Santana managed to check her phone. She had two missed texted from Noah and one from Roman. Knowing her so called boyfriend had nothing intelligent to say Santana skipped to her brother's text. The time stamp told it was from earlier that morning.

_**R: Hey where did you go this morning? Mom wanted to know if you even came home yesterday.**_

_**S: I had to get up early and pick Brittany up from her house. She wanted to visit McKinley to see if she wants to transfer. It was Quinn's idea.**_

_**R: You drove all the way to Oakwood and back?**_

_**S: No. Her new place off of Johnstone. **_

_**R: Brittany hasn't found a new place to move yet...**_

_**S: Well I dropped her off there yesterday and she was there this morning. Seems like she has and just hasn't told you about it yet.**_

_**R: If they had found a place Jason would have told me. He's been bitching about their place for the last two weeks. Where ever you took her wasn't her house.**_

_**S: Weird. She's your girlfriend, so you can figure out what's up and you can drive her back to her REAL house later. **_

_**R: K. let me know how school goes.**_

The lunch bell rang before Santana knew it. She gathered up her things and waited for Brittany to join her.

"So what do you think of McKinley so far?" Santana asked tentatively as they walked toward her locker. Brittany shrugged.

"It's like pretty much every other school I've ever been to. Nothing really stands out as special or different to me." Santana couldn't arrange with that. McKinley was kind of a shit hole as far as schools went. Their test scores were low, their football team sucked, and the students were more bigoted than white southern plantation owners. There wasn't much she could say that would change Brittany's mind on that. Instead she called out to Quinn who stood waiting at their locker.

"Where the hell have you been all day Fabray?" Santana snapped as she fiddled with her cobo. Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Well hello to you too. Hey Brittany, so glad you came. I hope this one hasn't been a bitch to you all day."

"No. Not at all. Santana's been the best tour guide ever." Brittany said with a much more believable smile. Santana loved that smile.

As Santana opened her locker she came face to face with the flier that Father Thomas had given her. She could feel her stomach twist painfully. 'She like a sister' Santana told herself over and over again.

"Santana are you coming or what? The boy are saving our seats in the cafeteria." Quinn called half way down the hall with her arm linked in Brittany's. Santana glared at her and slammed her locker shut. She eventually caught up to them, but by that time Brittany was seated on the end of the table next to Quinn while Puck sat with a seat open for her close to the middle. Santana did her best to try and hide her irritation as she sat down.

Lunch seemed to drag on, as did the rest of the day. Santana sat by while Quinn talked Brittany's ear off and pretended to care about all the same things as the lanky blonde. Santana couldn't resist rolling her eyes repeatedly, but every so often she would catch Brittany looking her and Puck's direction. Santana suspected that Brittany wasn't quite convinced of her and Puck's relationship, so she forced herself to put on a good show. At the table she laughed at Puck's stupid gross boy humor and held his hand under the table for everyone to see. The kids at her school weren't exactly hard to fool.

"Excuse me."

Santana looked up to see Rachel Berry standing behind her. 'God this girl can not take a hint can she?' Santana thought to herself.

"What Hobbit." Santana snapped. She could feel Brittany's eyes on her, but chose to ignore them.

"I think we misunderstood one another the other day." Rachel said softly to Santana, but so that everyone at the table could hear. "You guys are the most popular kids in school and I have an eye for talent. Some of you have real potential to be something. If you were to join Glee it would mean a lot to us. I've heard both you and Quinn singing in the girl's locker room when no one is around. Finn you also have a great voice. We could really use your talent. We're trying to make it to New York this year. If you joined no one would question it. You'd still be just as popular."

Everyone's eyes fell on Santana. She could feel the lunch room grow tense as everyone waited to hear what she had to say. It was true that Quinn was the queen bee in these parts, but Quinn had always left the messy chores for Santana to clean up, mainly telling losers to fuck off in a way that they could understand.

Truly, Santana loved to sing, but glee club was like social suicide. If she joined that club of misfits she might as well pain a sign on her back that said raging lesbian on her back, or that's the way if felt. Instead she spun around in her seat and stood to her full height only a few inches above Rachel.

"Listen up RuPaul. I'm only going to say this one last time. No one here is interested in your little progressive club, where people sing and dance their way through life problems. This is high school and life couldn't get much better for us. You're right when you say I'm talented, Yentl. I have more talent then you have in your pinky finger. I'm going places, unlike you, and I don't need you or your club of dorks and dweebs to get me there. You will never be popular, so run along back to what ever hole you crawled out of and stay there before I end you." Santana said with a vindictive hate.

Rachel backed away slowly before turning and walking across the hall to her own table of friends. Santana took her seat once again. Her friends all looked satisfied by her comment as though she had said just what they were thinking, but there was one pair of eyes who looked unhappy by her brutal words and those were the only eyes that mattered.

Abruptly Brittany stood up from the table and walked cross the hall to where Rachel sat. Everyone including Santana held their breath as the beautiful girl shook Rachel's hand and introduced herself. No one could hear what was being said, but the small brunette seemed over joyed. Brittany returned just as the lunch bell rang.

"Er...are you ready for the next class." Mumbled to Brittany shyly.

"Actually I think I'm going to finish up the day with Quinn, but I'll see you after." Brittany said candidly. Santana felt as though her body had turned to stone.

"Oh—yea. That's cool. Whatever's fine with me." She said, but inside she was raging.

_' She hates me. She saw how I treated Rachel and she hates me. What else could I do? __Everyone was watching. If I dismissed her nicely she would have come back and then people would start to question me. I had no choice, but to be a bitch.' _Santana fumed all the way to her next class.

Santana spent the last two classes of the day dreaming up ways to make it up to the girl. Each grew more and more fantastical then the last.

_'Flowers? No. That's so gay. Girls don't give other girl's flowers. I could offer to take her out to dinner and try to explain the way things are. She'd never believe that. She probably knows just how Rachel feels. After how I acted she's probably scared I'd make fun of her, but I'd never do that.'_

"Fuck" She muttered under her breath several times through out the afternoon.

The last bell rang with Santana still in a bitter mood. She had lost the considerable spring to her step she had begun with that morning. Quinn and Brittany stood waiting by her car smiling and laughing with each other. It was enough to make Santana sick. The scowl on her face grew thicker.

'Fuck her. If she doesn't like me the way I am then she can just fuck off and torment someone else for a change.'

"What's wrong with you now?" Quinn asked as Santana approached.

"Nothing. I just have a headache. Are you ready to go? Roman is going to drive you back to Oakwood—you know, where you actually live." Santana said bitterly to Brittany who looked taken aback. It was clear she was caught in her lie.

"I-"

"What's she talking about Britt?" Quinn asked curiously. From Brittany's pocket came a vibrating sound. She pulled it out and glanced at it.

"..sorry I have to take this...hello?" She said stepping away for a moment leaving Santana with Quinn.

"What do you mean her real house?" Quinn asked again.

"That place we dropped her off at doesn't belong to her. She hasn't moved yet and who knows if she will. She's probably playing us for information about the Cheerios." Santana said out of spite.

"...What? Jas—stop yelling I'm fine. I'm in Lima. I'm sorry I didn't call. I sort of forgot. No I haven't heard from her, have you? Okay...well I'll be home in like an hour. Yes for real...don't be like that. I'm fine. I'm sorry" Santana over heard Brittany say on the phone. She was finding it hard to focus on what Quinn was saying while Brittany was standing off to the side swaying her hips back and forth as she spoke.

"That's possible. I invited her to practice, but maybe we should hold off until we get to the bottom of this—hello Santana. Stop thinking about Puck and pay attention to me!" Quinn scolded. Santana looked back to Quinn and agreed. The two continued to talk about their day until Brittany was finished on the phone. The tall blonde looked stressed as she ran her fingers through her straw blonde hair.

"Do you mind if we go. My brother is being mean, so it's better if I get back home as soon as possible." She said quietly. Her smile had all but vanished. It was as though she had been reminded of something she didn't wish to speak about. Santana felt conflicted. One the one hand she was mad that Brittany had ditched her for Quinn and on the other hand she wanted to kick Jason's ass for upsetting her so much. Instead she said bye to Quinn and climbed into the car.

It had been a strange and stressful day for everyone, but looking back on it she couldn't believe she had just spent it with the angel of her day dreams. Each new flaw Santana had uncovered made her seem all the more perfect and all the more envious of what her brother had. Though she hated herself for it, she wanted Roman's girl and something inside her demanded something be done about it. The question was, did she stand a chance. She prayed the answer was yes.

* * *

*A/N- After the insanity of this morning let me start off by saying there is no Bram in this fic what so ever. Feel free to take a deep breath. Second I'd like to say thank you so much to the wonderful reviewer who shared such a personal story with me. Thank you for what you said and if you ever want to talk my ask box is always open. Lastly many people were asking about seeing Brittany's POV and for this fic there wont be any. I'm personally enjoying the reality of Santana's life and in reality you never know if the person you like really likes you back unless they say something. I want the reader to struggle with the idea of not knowing just like Santana has to. I think it helps to connect to the main character more.

I also want to point out that Brittany and Roman's relationship is real. Her feelings for him are real and we will be seeing more of it in physical and verbal ways, so be warned now that will be something that comes up which Santana will have to struggle with. The song does say

**I'll play along with this charade**  
**That doesn't seem to be a reason to change**  
**You know I feel so dirty when they start talking cute**  
**I wanna tell her that I love but the point is probably moot**  
**'Cause she's watching him with those eyes**  
**And she's lovin' him with that body, I just know it!**  
**And he's holding her in his arms late, late at night**

So please don't be upset if and when that is played out. Sorry for the extra long note, but I thought I should be clear now after what happened with UTVE.

Thank you all for your wonderful messages so far and I hope you continue to read this fic. If you could please **_review_** that would be so helpful!


	7. Cyclone

_A/N- I feel like I should put a warning on this chapter even though there's nothing 'bad' in it. There's a lot of teen drama and internal anger angst. _

**Chapter Seven**

**Cyclone**

Santana checked her reflection in the mirror a second and third time, fussing with each little discrepancy she found until she could no longer find things to fix or re-fix. Her dress was a black strapless that fit around her torso tightly while the bottom portion puffed out at the waist. Dark laced flowers filled the pleats in the gown, while her raven hair fell gracefully past her shoulder on the left side.

"This was such a fucking stupid idea." Santana grumbled as she tried to jab her hoop earrings into her ears. If there was one thing she hated more than the locker room after each football game, it was school dances.

"Knock. Knock." Roman smirked from the open doorway. Santana rolled her eyes and continued to get ready. "Noah's downstairs talking to mami and papi. Just thought you'd like to know before the house explodes."

Santana gave a loud groan. Dances at McKinley were basically huge orgies where girls grind on each other while the boys stood back and watched. Why no one thought it was as gay as it looked was beyond her. She took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. Her anxiety level was through the roof, but at least her week-long torture as Noah Puckerman's girlfriend was almost over. Now that she thought about it the deal she made with him seemed far more to his advantage than her own.

"I don't understand what you have against dances San. I mean you're a cheerleader for Christ sake. All you do is dance and sing." Roman cocked an eyebrow at her and stepped inside her room. " Hang on your bra thingy is sticking out." He tucked the clip to her strapless bra down into her dress.

"They're just stupid. The boys never dance, it's hot in there, the girls suck at dancing, and the boy who do dance just hump you. It's gross—oh thanks." Santana murmured as she took a last look at herself.

"Okay I see what you're saying, but you have to loosen up a little San. Dances are really fun if you give them a chance to be. Noah said he's going to spike the punch bowl. Have a few sips and you'll see what I mean." Santana gave another deep sigh. Sometime her big idiot brother knew just how to calm her nerves. She turned and wrapped her arms around him and he held her right back.

"Thanks Ro." She whispered.

"Anytime. Now go down stairs and show Noah how hot you look." He shot her a big dopey look.

"You're such an ass, but you're right. The less time he spends with mami and papi the better." Santana opened the door and walked down the stairs to where Noah sat in the front living room chatting with her parents.

"Woah Santana!" Puck said nearly aw struck. " You looking fucking hot."

Santana could see her mother take a deep sip from her wine glass and her father's grip tighten on the arm rest of his favorite chair.

"Uhh... I'll take the picture of them." Roman offered pulling his phone from his jeans pocket, in the hopes of dispersing the awkward tension. "Stand on the stairs you two."

Santana rolled her eyes, but she knew this came with the whole dance package. She stood on a step above Puck with her hand on his shoulder. She put on a her master fake smile. The one that said she was so crazy about Puck she could hardly stand it, but the moment the flash from the camera faded she was right back to her sour mood.

"Come on let's get out of here." Santana said taking Puck's hand and leading him out the door.

* * *

The car ride to the McKinley High School Gym wasn't a long one, but the silence in the car made it feel like forever.

"You really do look great Santana." Puck said sheepishly. Glancing over at her from the driver's seat. She knew he was being sincere and making an effort, but the stressful knots in her stomach were growing tighter and tighter the closer she got to the gym.

"Thanks. You too." was all she could bring herself to say. As much as she hated being his girlfriend, Puck wasn't a bad guy. In fact if she wasn't gay, he might have been the kind of man she would have ended up marrying. Well, him or a NFL football player. However, no matter which way she spun it there was nothing in her heart for him. She simply wanted to get out of his shadow as quickly as she could.

"So, after tonight we're done right? I mean we're even." Santana asked tentatively refusing to look over at him.

"If that's what you really want. I don't know about you, but I kinda like what we have going. We're the two hottest people at McKinley and I mean ever since we started going out we've been way more popular than Quinn and Finn." He had a point there. " Plus I've had a lot of fun this last week hanging out. Maybe we could like, give it a real shot."

Santana felt her mouth go dry. She had never heard a more honest and well thought out statement from Puck's mouth than the one he just gave her. He did really have feelings for her and there was no way she would ever have feelings for him back. On the other hand what were the chances of her actually finding someone who cared about her as much as Puck seemed to, in female form? The girl of her dreams was madly in love with her brother and her first crush didn't even notice her in that way. Any chance of having a real relationship with a girl outside of the east or west coast was non-existent.

"Lets just see how the dance goes." was all Santana was ready to give him, but it seemed like more than enough by the smile which broke across Puck's face. Santana hated herself just a little more for giving him hope.

Puck parked his truck and together they slid out and headed toward the gym. From outside she could already hear the booming music and the loud chatter of teens waiting in line to get inside. As they got closer Santana spotted Quinn waving her over.

"Aw Quinn and Finn are already hear. Lets go cut in line with them!" Puck shouted dragging Santana toward their friends. Santana swallowed nervously as she finally got a glimpse of Quinn in her dress. She wore deep purple with only one strap over her left shoulder. Her hair was pulled into a half up-do with waves of golden hair falling around her shoulders. The dressed hugged her curves so perfectly that it made breathing difficult for Santana. Instead the frustrated cheerleader leaned into Puck and averted her eyes.

"Wow Noah, I'm impressed. You actually convinced Santana to come to a school dance. What did you bribe her with?" Quinn giggled and the boys smiled to humor her.

"Nuthin at all." Puck said proudly puffing out his chest. "Hey I seem Sam is closer to the front of the line. Finn and I will go turn in our tickets so we can get in faster. You beautiful ladies wait here" and with that he lest Santana standing awkwardly alone with Quinn. She glared at him as he left, folding her arms over her chest bitterly.

"So when are you going to explain to me exactly what's going on between you and Noah?" Quinn asked with a hint of suspicion. " First you start dating out of no where. You act all lovey dovey at the lunch table , but you're almost never together in the hall way. And now you show up together at a school dance, which I know for a fact you hate because every year when I try to get you to go, you throw a bitch fit about it. So, what's the game here?" Quinn asked stepping a little closer than comfortable.

"T-There's not game Quinn. God you're so paranoid sometimes. Puck and I are an item. I think you're just jealous that we're twice as popular as you and Finn." Santana snapped back trying to put some distance between her and the beautiful girl. Quinn merely rolled her eyes.

"As if. Finn is the Quarterback and I'm the captain of the Cheerios. I will always be more popular than you by default. Besides everyone knows Noah wants exactly one thing from you." Quinn gave Santana an odd look which mad her cheeks grow warm. " Well...?"

"Well what?" Santana asked in confusion though her heart was starting to beat a little faster. She had an idea of where this conversation was going and she didn't like it.

"Have you and Puck...you know. Done it." She said just above a whisper though with the loud conversation around them she was sure no one could hear even if she had shouted the question.

"What?! No! God no. Come on Quinn. What kind of girl do you think I am." Santana hissed back at her best friend who had a look of relief on her face. "Have you? You've been with Finn a lot longer than I've been with Puck. It would only make sense that you've-"

Quinn held up the back of her hand.

"Purity ring. I'm saving myself for marriage. You might want to think about getting yourself one if you want an excuse to push-off Noah's advances. That is ...unless you want Noah to be your first." Quinn raised her eyebrows and Santana could feel her face break out into a deep red blush. "Well in any case you'll get to find out if Noah's packing or not."

She didn't get the chance to respond or ask what the hell Quinn's last statement meant when the boys returned with their vouchers.

"Okay now all we have to do is get out hand stamped as we walk in. You guys ready?" Finn asked taking Quinn's hand. The head Cheerio shot Santana a wink and followed her boyfriend inside the gym. Santana followed behind them with her anxiety returned in full as she held out her hand for the glow-in-the-dark stamp.

Inside there were students everywhere. It was like all of Lima came out for this one event.

Just as Santana predicted there was a line of boys and girls on ether side of the gym refusing to go out onto the dance floor. In the center an even larger number of students were packed together so tight on the dance floor that there was no way to even get through. With the flashing strobe lights and the loud music Santana was already beginning to feel disoriented.

"Hey I've got a date with the punch bowl want me to bring you back some?" Puck leaned in and said into her ear. Santana nodded.

"Yes please. I'll be over there." She pointed to an empty few seats off to the side. There was only one way she would make it thought tonight and that was drunk.

Only a few moments passed by after she took her seat when some sophomore came over to her.

"H-hey Santana. I was um...wondering if maybe—that is if you're not with someone—would you like to dance with me."

Santana looked at the young foolish boy. Her eyes gave him a dark sinister look. She was already in a bad mood, the last thing she wanted was losers hitting on her.

"I'm here with someone and even if I wasn't there isn't a chance in hell I'd ever dance with you. Spread the word that Santana Lopez is taken." She sneered at him. The young kind practically tripped over himself as he went to find someone else to dance with. There were a few advantages to having Puck for a boyfriend. However, she regretted the thought the moment he returned with their cups.

"Here you go babe." Puck said with a proud smirk taking a sip from his cup and handing Santana her own. She took a deep sip from it and started to cough.

"Holy shit Noah! How much did you put in here?" Santana said trying to gag.

"Enough. Do you know how fast punch goes around here? There's no way I can spike the bowl twice. I had to put enough to get everyone at least pleasantly buzzed if not drunk." Santana took another smaller sip from her cup. There was more than enough vodka in there to get her decently hammered if she could finish the cup.

"Hey, Quinn and Finn are close to the middle of the floor dancing. We should go join them." Puck suggested setting his cup and jacket down to save their seats. Santana was about to protest when he pulled her too her feet. With one last sip she followed him out onto the floor.

Santana let Puck push their way through the tight crowd of kids dancing up on one another. 'God this is so awkward' she thought to herself as she brushed past Kurt, Rachel, and a few other glee club losers all dancing together. Eventually they made their way to the center where Quinn and Finn where dancing. Quinn's dress was practically at her naval. Santana swore that any minute her friend was about to flash her marriage goods to the whole school. Finn held her tight up against him with one hand on her hip and the other on her stomach. Quinn looked breathless and tiered, but it was the sexiest thing Santana had ever seen. She wasn't sure if it was Quinn's dancing or the alcohol, but she suddenly felt dizzy.

"Hey man! Mind if we join you guys?" Puck shouted giving Finn a high-five and causing him to let go of Quinn who looked a little annoyed as she lost her balance. She grabbed Santana's shoulder to steady herself.

"Not at all dude!" Came Finn's happy reply as he took a hold of Quinn again. By the look Quinn was giving her it was clear she knew Santana was uncomfortable and unsure of what to do. She motioned for Santana to stand in front of Puck facing her, basically sandwiching the two girls in between their dates.

Santana stiffened as Puck's hands found their way around her waits and drew her in closer just as Finn had done with Quinn. He began rocking his hips side to side, but they were pressed so close to Santana that her own hips followed. Santana let out a small relaxing breath. Maybe this wasn't as hard as she thought it might be. She could feel a relaxing glow from the booze set over her. The song changed to an old one, but everyone stilled cheered because they all knew it. Even Santana smiled a little and got into the song. She used her own hips to take the lead in their little rhythm and she focused on Quinn in front of her.

_Them baggy sweat pants  
And the Reeboks with the straps, with the straps  
She turned around and gave that big booty a smack, ayy!  
She hit the flo, she hit the flo  
Next thing you know  
Shawty got low low low low, low low low low_

Santana dipped down low with the chorus of the song bringing Puck down with her. She couldn't help, but laugh as Finn cheered her on and Quinn started doing the same move with her. Her legs burned, but it felt good. Soon she completely forgot about everyone else on the floor and Puck became nothing more than a support beam which kept her from falling over.

Song after song played and Santana realized she loved each more than the last. Her moves became more sexy and wild the deeper she got into the music. After two Chris Browns, 1,2 step by Ciara, and Crank That by Soulja Boy, they decided to go take a break.

"You're a great dancer." Puck panted taking a seat across from her. Santana gave a cocky shrug as she took a deep sip from her spiked punch. She had so much adrenalin pumping though her veins she could hardly taste the booze anymore.

"You're not too bad ether." She laughed. Just as Santana had caught her breath and was about to excuse herself to the bathroom there was a disturbance on the dance floor. She watched as students started to back up and form a circle. At first she thought there was going to be a fight, but when no one came to break it up her interest grew. "Lets go see what's up." She said to Noah. When she stood her legs wobbled beneath her and the room started spinning a little. She gave a tiny giggle before marching toward the circle.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she recognized the song playing as an old hip-hop number by baby-bash called cyclone. As she pushed past people she couldn't help, but sing and dance along to it.

_She moves her body like a cyclone  
And she makes me want to do it all night long  
Going hard when they turn the spotlights on  
Because she moves her body like a cyclone  
Just like a cyclone_

Santana hummed along enjoying her buzz as she pushed through to the front of the circle. Inside there was a heated dance off taking place. There was a boy on the ground breaking. He spun and kicked until he finished with by spinning around on one hand. Santana was so impressed she cheered and clapped for the boy over the music. The challenger was a tall girl who wore a sea-foam green dress, red and black high top Addidas, and a Addidas black hat on her head. Her blonde curls hung around her head, but with the hat Santana couldn't make out the girl's face in the dark dance hall. Who ever she was, she could dance.

_(It's a wrap)__  
__When she breaks them boys of a typhoon__  
__(It's a wrap)__  
__Better get that fatty like a boss tycoon__  
__(It's a wrap)__  
__Now hold it steady cause she make a monsoon__  
__(it's a wrap)__  
__Now you can Google download the iTunes__  
__She what I'm saying__  
__She ain't playing__  
__And she got them heads turning__  
__You gonna her it clack-clack__  
__When them heals get to burning__  
__(clack-clack)__  
__Stiletto so fuego__  
__She got her own label__  
__And got us all doing the tornado_

Santana watched in awe as the girl worked her way around the circle in a moon partial moon walk before transitioning into a series of fast locking moves. Santana's eyes could barely keep up with the level of complexity this girl was showing in her moves. Not only that, but it was like she was dancing with the whole crowd. The blonde would approach different people and then use them in her next movement. Everyone cheered at the top of their lungs for the girl, Santana included. She was sure she clapped the loudest when the girl moved to the far edge of the circle and back flipped to the center, never missing a single beat. The girl must have heard her because the next thing she knew the tall blonde was walking right toward her and suddenly it felt as though the entire school was watching her.

Santana wanted nothing more than to disappear into the crowd. She wanted to watch the dancer dance with other people, not be a part of the show herself, however there was nowhere to run. The dance circle was pack way too tightly. Santana's head began to spin as the girl came right up to her and put an arm around her neck. She felt her legs tremble as the hot blonde used her body like a stripper pole. She watched as the girl sank down to her knees before popping quickly back up and rocking her torso hard into Santana's. Santana couldn't breathe. It was way too much to deal with for one night. Just as the girl moved to pull away her hat tilted up revealing a pair of crystal blue eyes Santana knew all too well. It was Brittany.

Furious and upset, Santana turned around and pushed through the crowd. She snarled several threats at those who didn't get out of her way quickly. She needed to get out of here. She needed to leave. Santana stormed through the dance and through open the bathroom door, yelling for everyone else to leave. The few girls who were in there scampered out as quickly as they could.

Santana approached the mirror and gripped the sink willing herself not to cry. This whole night had gone so well for her and Brittany just had to show up and ruin it all for her. Everywhere she turned Brittany was standing right there teasing her. It wasn't fair.

"God, why can't she just leave me alone and let me have one moment where I feel fucking normal for a change." Santana gritted her teeth as tears rolled down her cheeks messing up her make up just a little. "Fuck!" She shouted crying harder. The worst part she wasn't even truly angry with Brittany. As a matter of fact, she wanted to dance with her. She wanted to hold her close and feel all those stupid silly feelings Quinn always talked about feeling when she was with Finn, but it wasn't possible and that frustrated her to know end.

"Santana?"

Santana closed her eyes and whipped away the tears and smeared eyeliner from her eyes.

"What?" She snapped at Quinn as she entered the girl's bathroom.

"One of the freshmen said you through everyone out of the bathroom. Are you alright? What happened? Was it Noah because I'll get Finn to have the other football guys to kick his ass if you want." Quinn said with a shocking amount of concern in her voice. She picked up one of the hand towels and ran it under the sink before lightly taking Santana's face in her hands and cleaning away the mess Santana had made. Santana could merely scoff.

"No, but thanks for the offer. I'm just drunk, that's all." it was a well-known fact that Santana was a weepy drunk, but Quinn shot her a look that said 'I don't believe you for a fucking second,but I'll drop it'

"Well good because we've got bigger problems on our hands. I don't know if you caught that show on the dance floor, but apparently Sue invited some of the girls from Oakwood to the dance. She wasn't happy with our fight a few weeks ago. She said that she had to save face by promoting inter-school unity or some bullshit like that. Point is they are here and we've got a problem."

Santana cleared her throat and thanked Quinn for her help with the make up.

"I saw Brittany dancing in that circle. Do you still think she's a spy for them?"

Quinn shook her head.

"It's doubtful. After thinking it over I realized that she only has rainbows and flowers in that pretty head of hers. I think she really does want to come to our school, but red brought her tonight to intimidate us. She doesn't know that we're on the verge of stealing their star dancer, so all we have to do is exactly what Sue wants us to do. Play nice. Brittany made it clear that she wants to go to a school where people aren't mean and I'm about to make that day-dream a reality. I just need you to keep your attitude in check for the rest of the night. Forget about what ever happened with you and Puck. Focus on making Brittany like you. Make her think you and I are fucking fairies of kindness. That includes being friendly to any losers you see." Quinn said putting her hands firmly on her hips. Her game face was now on.

Santana ran her fingers through her hair. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen, but she couldn't blow off a direct order from Quinn unless she wanted to spend the next two months at the bottom of the pyramid and sitting with Rachel at lunch.

"Fine. Whatever. Just let me finish my punch first." she grunted as she left the bathroom.

Santana stormed over to her cup where Puck sat waiting for her. He looked concern, but she didn't care one damn bit about that._'This whole thing is completely fucked. I didn't ask for any of this. I just wanted to get through tonight without any problems, but fucking Quinn and her fucking plans had to mess with all of that.' _Santana raged inside her head.

" Hey where have you been? I was getting worried about you?" Puck said sweetly trying to take her hand. Santana pulled away and reached for her cup, which was still over halfway full.

"I'm fine Puck, Jesus. You're not my real boyfriend so stop fucking acting like you are." She snapped right before taking a deep drink from the contents.

"Woah. Did I like do something wrong babe? Maybe you should take it easy on that...or not" he sat back down when she shot him a warning glare.

Santana spun around until she spotted Quinn with Brittany, who still wore her sexy hat and sneakers. The two were talking and laughing together like old friends. It was gross. If Santana weren't a hundred and ten percent sure Quinn was straight she would have guessed she was flirting with Brittany.

She took another large drink from the cup nearly finishing the contents. She narrowed her eyes as Quinn dragged Brittany a little further into the floor, but still with in eye sight of Santana. What she saw next, Santana would think back later and wonder if she had imagined it all. Quinn turned around in front of Brittany and began dancing up on her. Brittany held Quinn tight to her body the way Finn had done earlier. The only difference was that Brittany was a far better dancer than Finn. As the beat changed the tall blonde use the hand which was on Quinn's hip and slid up the girl's back pressing her down until the head cheerio was dancing practically on all fours.

A hot anger burned through Santana's gut. She couldn't explain why she felt so angry, she just knew she did. She couldn't tell which of the two girls she was more jealous of or whether they were doing it just to mess with her. The one thing she did know is that this wouldn't have happened if Brittany hadn't shown up that night.

"Hold this." She barked at Puck.

Santana marched across the gym to where Brittany and Quinn were grinding against each other. Anger and rage boiled under the surface until she couldn't hold back any more. She reached out and shoved both girls, breaking them apart.

" What the fuck Santana!" Quinn shouted back at her, but Santana could hardly understand what she was saying through her hazy drunk mind.

"No fuck you! Fuck you both!" She turned to Brittany who looked shocked and confused. " What gives you the right to come to our school and act like you fucking own the place! You're fucking everywhere! There is no getting away from you!" Santana shouted as hot tears burned her cheeks. She could feel the other students start to listen in on their conversation. "Estás arruinando mi vida. ¿Quién crees que eres?"

"Brittany don't listen to her she's drunk!" Quinn said taking the tall blonde's hand and leading her away.

"That's right. Fucking walk away!" Santana yelled over the chatter surrounding her. Her head spun and she wanted to fight someone anyone because she was sick of fighting with herself.

" Come on Santana. I think you've had enough let's get you home." Puck said grabbing her shoulders and guiding her toward the door.

* * *

Puck stopped to buy her water and a burrito on the way home from the dance, which she was immensely grateful for. It helped sober her up a little, which in turn helped her actions to fully sink in.

"I'm really sorry for yelling at you Noah." She said between comforting bites of burrito.

"Don't sweat it. It happens all the time, plus I've got to say I enjoyed watching you call Quinn out on her bullshit." He said with a small chuckle. Santana gave a small smile in return although she didn't feel like smiling.

"I'm going to have to sort out so much crap on Monday." She groaned still feeling the buzz in her head. " Quinn is going to be pissed, my brother is going to be pissed, and Brittany is probably going to stay at Oakwood now." Santana closed her eyes trying to process just how much she fucked up.

"Dude look, Quinn is like your bff for life. She's going to forgive you. Your brother is your brother no matter how bad you fucked up, so all you really have to worry about is fixing things with Britt. You do that and the other two will forget all about it. Take it from someone who fucks up a lot." Puck gave her a small wink before starting the car to head for home.

* * *

Santana turned the key and pushed the door open quietly hoping not to wake anyone in the house. The last thing she wanted was another confrontation, but it was too late for that. Roman sat in the front living room with his arms folded looking pissed off.

"Shit." Santana said allowed.

"Yea, shit's right Santana. What the fuck is your problem? I just spent the last hour and a half on the phone with Brittany trying to calm her down and convince her that you don't fucking hate her. I asked you to do one thing! _One thing!_ Be nice to my girlfriend. Instead I find out that not only have you been a total bitch to her, but you shoved her. "

Santana gritted her teeth and took her brother's lashing. She had it coming though his anger was making her want to cry all over again.

"It's not like that—I don't hate her." Santana whimpered back in helpless protest.

"Really? Okay then tell me what it's like? Tell me what the hell gives you the right of just go up and shove someone and shout at them in spanish. Don't even try to blame it on the fact that you were drunk Santana because I know you. You don't just start fights without a reason, so explain."

Santana stood their shrinking under his piercing black gaze, unable to move or speak. She looked away at the floor unable to give him what he wanted.

"You're unbelievable. I can't even talk to you right now." Roman growled pushing past her and storming up the stairs. There was a loud bang as he slammed his bedroom door. Santana whipped the tears from her cheeks and headed to her own room. She was physically and emotionally exhausted. She didn't have the energy to cry anymore or even take off her dress. She simply crawled into bed and pulled her stuffed bear toward her lonely body. She'd worry about repairing the mess she had made in the morning.

* * *

A/N- Hey so I really hope everyone liked this chapter. I think there was a lot of intense emotional stuff in here. I know San pushing Brittany was a little 'whoa'. It was for me too, but no one was actually hurt because Santana would never purposely do something like that.

Just a heads up:

I've mentioned before that I want to write about Santana's personal struggle because I don't feel like it's touched on as much as I'd like to see. As angsty as this story is you don't have to worry about any triggering content like self harm. There wont be any of that. It's just a lot of Santana struggling with who she is. This is a Brittana fic so there will be more moments with them, but I want Santana at her lowest point because I like the idea of watching her build herself back up. Brittany will be right there along the way to help.

I mentioned before that this is a slow burn kind of story, so I hope you're ready to hang in there with me. :D

Please let me know what you think! I love hearing from you all!

Song Mentioned

**1. Low- Flo Rida**

**2. 1, 2, Step - Ciara**

**3. Cyclone - Baby Bash**


	8. Saying Sorry

**Chapter Eight:**

**Saying Sorry**

Two weeks. That's how long Santana had been in the ice box. Roman refused to talk to her or bring his girl anywhere near her and Quinn had basically demoted her to the bottom of the pyramid. The only reason Santana wasn't spending her lunches with Suzy Pepper was because she and Puck were still an item. As much as she hated herself for leading the dimwitted boy on, he was her only link left to status at McKinley and right now she needed her popularity more than anything.

Santana felt awful, more than awful, she felt utterly alone as she walked through the halls on her way to class. Maybe it was her fault for being such a bitch all the time. If she were a nicer person then maybe she might still have friends, but that wasn't meant to be. She had far too much rage built up inside. Years of self hate spilled out into hate for others. If she didn't vent it out someplace, she was liable to explode. Instead she chose to move forward with her head held high as if nothing were wrong.

She glared at two freshmen who were standing in front of her locker chatting about some stupid drama that she could care less about. When they saw her approaching they scampered away, but not before uttering the word "bitch" under their breath. Santana tried not to let if phase her. At this point it was almost like a nickname. She twirled her locker combo around until it clicked open. She pulled open the door and began collecting her books to go home. At the bottom of the pile she noticed th camp brochure she had received from Father Thomas. The paper was crinkled and folded after being smashed between books for several weeks, but the messaged handed changed. Frustrated Santana smashed the thing in her fist and shoved it down deep into her bag where she could find it later.

She felt hot anger boiling up under her skin. 'Why couldn't she just be fucking normal like everyone else. Why did she have to feel this way about Brittany'. Santana slammed her locker door with more force then she intended causing the other students to look her way.

"Wow someone needs anger management issues." a Cheerio named Kitty Wilde said as she approached with two hockey players flanking her on ether side. Santana was about to tell her to fuck off when she noticed the big gulps they held in their hands. " Your issues might have cost us nationals and some of us think that you need to cool down"

On cue the jock to her right slowly poured ice-cold blue slushie over the top of her head. Santana gasped as the cold drink ran down her neck and back.

" The next one is a warning from Quinn. If we do lose nationals you can consider yourself off the Cheerios for good and your place at this school demolished. If I were you I'd get my shit together and do everything in my power to make sure we win. " With that the second red slushie came pouring down over Santana's already freezing head.

Kitty and her idiots pushed by without a single glance back. All Santana could do was stand there for a long moment in shock, but when the whispers of the hall finally caught her ears, she picked up her things and ran to her car.

* * *

Santana sat on the end of her bed staring at her cell phone. Her dark hair was wrapped up in a towel from the three showers she had taken that night. It seemed slushie was a lot harder to get out of your hair than most people realized. She knew if she didn't make things right with Brittany, her life would be over before she even had a chance to really screw it up.

Her thumb flipped through the contacts until she found Brittany's name staring back at her. Her stomach felt knotted and sick just thinking about Brittany's voice on the other end. Her heart fluttered and skipped as she pictured Brittany pressed up close to her, the way she had been at the dance. Her sexuality was so fluid and effortless as if she knew exactly who she was and didn't care what anyone thought about it.

Santana closed her eyes and pictured herself in Quinn's shoes, bending over for the tall blonde. Letting the music control every sensual touch between them. Looking back she knew it was Quinn she was most jealous of. The girl never seemed to have a single problem to worry about. Everything came so easy to her and it hurt to see someone else get the girl Santana so desperately yearned for.

Lost in her fantasies, Santana didn't realize her finder had bumped the dial button until she heard a faint voice coming from the other in.

"Hello? Santana...you there?" Brittany asked though her tone was indistinguishable.

Santana fumbled with her phone suddenly embarrassed by the arousal which spread throughout her body.

"I—yes! I'm here! Hey. Hey! What's up?" Santana sputtered awkwardly into her phone looking down at her comforter.

"Um...not a lot. You?" Brittany asked clearly confused by what was going on.

"Oh. Well cool... I'm good." Santana's mind went blank for a moment. She had completely forgotten why she had called in the first place.

"Cool... Did you like—want something?" Her voice grew more curious by the second.

"Uh...yea... I just—um..." She was at a loss for words. Frustrated she threw herself back against her pillows with a small grunt. She closed her eyes and hoped the right words would just fall out. " I wanted to talk about what happened at the dance."

Brittany was quiet on the other end for several moments giving Santana a chance to collect herself.

"Oh, alright I guess."

"I just wanted to start off by saying that I don't hate you. Roman told me that's what you thought after and it's not true. I felt-" She paused. Talking about her feelings wasn't something Santana Lopez ever did.

"You felt?" Santana could practically see the girl's face on the other line judging her. Santana gave a deep huff and trudged on trying to convince herself that sharing was a good idea.

"I felt really bad when I heard that and I wanted to say I'm sorry." She confessed in one long breath. Brittany was quiet on the other line again. Maybe she was at a loss of words, but all Santana really wanted was an 'okay I forgive you' so her life could get back to normal.

"I just really don't understand what I did to make you so angry at me. I mean since the moment we met all I've done is try to get you to like me or notice me, but you seem determined to act like I'm not there. It's really hurtful, San." Brittany paused giving Santana a moment to think about her words.

Not there? How could Brittany think that? Every waking and dreaming moment Santana had, was spent thinking about Brittany. In class she'd replay conversations in her mind or think of conversations she wanted to have, instead of paying attention. At practice she constantly compared the other girl's movements to Brittany's. At night she fantasized about what it would be like to kiss Brittany's neck and run her fingers through her straw blonde hair.

"It's weird too because when I'm alone with you, you seem like the sweetest person in the world and the second we're around other people it's like that person doesn't exists. I don't get where it's all coming from. Do you have something against me dating your brother or is this just how you treat everyone who tries to be nice to you?" Brittany sounded frustrated and Santana couldn't blame her.

"Look, I get why you would think that, but all I can tell you is that it's not true. I do l-like you and I do want to be friends. It's just-my life is complicated." Santana tried to explain, but knew she was failing epically.

"Everyone's life is complicated Santana, not just yours. If that's all you can offer me then I don't really know why you called. If Quinn put you up to apologizing you can tell her that I'm transferring this Monday. You don't need to keep on with your fake apology." Brittany snapped angrily into the phone.

"Britt, it's not like that. Quinn didn't tell me to do anything and my apology isn't fake. I really am sorry and I do want to make it up to you. That girl you see when we're alone is real. I just—the people at my school expect me to be a certain way. If they found out I'm not the person they thought I was then my life would be over. I know that sounds stupid, but status is everything at McKinley. " Santana rolled over on to her side and played with the edges of her pillow. " Ever since I pushed you at the dance things have gotten kinda bad...Today they poured slushies on my head. I'm not saying sorry because of that though. I'm just trying to get you to understand what I mean."

Brittany gave a deep sigh from the other end of the phone, which sounded like she might have actually believed Santana's confession.

"I understand, but school is tough. You've gotten shit for a few days. There are kids at your school who get slushied every single day and nobody does anything to stop it. I'll accept your apology on two conditions. One: I want to hang out, like actual friends. Go places—do things together, all of it. Two: When I start McKinley I'm joining the Cheerios and Rachel's Glee club. I want you to join with me. You have an amazing voice and it's about time you show your school that you're more than just another popular cheerleader." Brittany said with an air of finality.

Santana furrowed her brows, puller her towel off, and ran her fingers through her hair. She was already on Quinn's shit list the last thing she needed was to be caught dead with a bunch of losers, singing and dancing to showtunes.

"No deal. Glee club is social suicide. I might as well just tell the entire school I'm g-" Santana stopped herself just in time. She couldn't believe she had nearly outed herself just like that. She was always so careful, but with Brittany around her filter seemed to vanish. "...-That I'm going to be a nerd the rest of my life." Santana bawled her fist and put it to her forehead.

"Fine. The I guess I'll see you around. Good luck with the whole slushie thing..."

"Wait!" Santana shouted into her phone. The last thing she wanted was for Brittany to hang up. " Fine, but if I do this I only go to rehearsals after school. No sitting with them at lunch or becoming bffs for life. Also I refuse to sing any musicals." Santana pouted into the phone. She could have sworn she heard Brittany giggle on the other in causing butterflies to ripple through Santana's stomach and chest.

"Alright. You have yourself a deal. You better text me first thing tomorrow so we can plan our first date." Brittany teased, but Santana' face grew red-hot. The idea of going on a date with Brittany was a fantasy although she knew the girl meant it in only a friendship kind of way.

"Whatever you want, princess." Santana retorted, but suddenly felt extremely stupid as Brittany giggled again. '_I should never be allowed to speak to girls ever! I'm such an idiot!'_

"Well I'm going to go paint my nails and watch Adventure Time, so I'll talk to you tomorrow." Brittany said softly into the phone.

"Uh y-yea me to. Night." Santana mumbled, her brain was growing fuzzy from their conversation.

The phone clicked and the other end went dead.

Santana let her cell fall out of her hand as she reached for on of her pillows to put over her face. She groaned loudly into the soft material totally confused by what just happened. Some where in the course of their conversation she and Brittany had become friends, like _real_ ones. Even better still, Brittany had confessed to wanting Santana's attention just as much as Santana wanted hers. She knew it was totally dumb to read into anything, but it made her heart giddy to hear. Her joy was quickly replaced by dread as it dawned on her that she would be spending a good amount of alone time with the gorgeous girl.

"Shit, what am I going to wear?"

Santana sprung from her bed and shifting through her closet endlessly searching for just the right outfit until the early morning hours. Eventually her tiered body forced her to crawl back into bed and call it a night.

Santana drifted off to sleep more peacefully than she had in months. Her dreams were filled with Brittany's friendship and all the things that would bring.

* * *

*A/N- Hope you liked the chapter. Sorry it's a little short this week. Things are looking up for them finally :) Let me know what you think so far!


End file.
